Protest the arrest of students in Iran!

by CYOI - Communist Youth Organization of Iran Mon Dec 10, 2007 19:06

This is the second communication from the Communist Youth Organistion of Iran regarding the recent arrest of students.

In our letter on 2nd December we made you aware that Islamic Republic has arrested some students on the eve of Student’s Day in Iran. Despite the arrest and threatening of activists and organizers of Student’s Day, on 4th of December Students organized the event in Tehran University, there were 30 people arrested and those are now being kept in Evin prison and unknown places. All the students have leftist tendencies and Islamic government treats its critics, specially those with leftist tendencies, very brutal and inhumane and that have made worries for families of those arrested, Student activists and human rights defenders.

Here you can see a list of those arrested on 4th of December and we hope you, with your quick and definite reaction, be able to stop the Islamic Republic crimes in relation to these arrested students and all political prisoners.

1- Milad Moyini (Mazandaran University) 2- Behrang Zandi (Mazandaran University) 3- Hamed Mohammadi (Mazandaran University) 4- Arash Pakzad (Mazandaran University) 5- Hasan Maarefi (Mazandaran University) 6- Anooshe Azadfar (Tehran University) 7- Ilnaz Jamshidi (Communications, Azad University, Central Tehran) 8- Mehdi Gerayloo (Geophysics, Tehran) 9- Nader Ahsani (Mazandaran University) 10-Sayid Habibi (ex-member of the Central Council of Advare Tahkim Vahdat) 11- Behrooz Karimi-zade (Tehran University) 12- Keyvan Amiri Elyasi (Masters, Industry, Sharif Technical University) 13- Nasim SoltanBeygi (Communications faculty, Alame) 14- Ali Salem (Masters of Polymers – Polytechnic) 15- Mohsen Ghamin (Polytechnic University) 16- Roozbe Saf-Shekan (Tehran University) 17-Roozbehan Amiri (Computer sciences, Tehran) 18- Yaser Pir Hayati (Shahed University) 10- Mahsa Mohebbi 20- Okhtay Hosseni (Azad University) 21- Sayid Agham Ali Khalili (Alame University) 22- Behzad Bagheri (Tehran University) 23- Ali Kalayi 24- Amir Mehrzad 25- Hadi Salari 26- Farshid Farhadi Ahangaran 27- Amir Aghayi 28- Milad Omrani 29- Soroosh Hashempoor (from Ahvaz) and 30-Yoones Mirhossein (Student of Shiraz University).

With your protest letters, organizing protest gatherings and any other initiatives demand the release of jailed students and political prisoners.

Communist Youth Organization,
Cyo.iran@gmail.com
6th of December 2007

Full text of letter at the link below.
http://sjk-newseng.blogspot.com/2007/12/letter-no2protest-arrest-of-students-in.html

by Hiram Mon Dec 10, 2007 19:21

More news on yesterdays protest at Tehran University.

Hundreds of Iranian students expressed their anger over a government crackdown on activists in a protest Sunday at Tehran University, the second such demonstration in less than a week, witnesses and state radio said. One witness, Mehdi Arabshahi, said the protest lasted more than two hours as students rallied against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hardline administration.

``Students chanted against policies by Ahmadinejad's administration, which is imposing pressures on the universities and detaining activists,'' Arabshahi said.

Another witness, Abbas Kazemi, said the protesters also called out anti-war slogans aimed at the United States and Israel.

Last week, a group of left-wing students said 33 students and activists including four women were detained Tuesday after they staged a protest on the Tehran University campus.

Full report at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7139622....html

by Communist student Tue Dec 11, 2007 13:41

Another report on the student protests in Iran. Full article at link.

Despite all the repression the demonstration,organised by Radical Left students, went ahead at noonTuesday in Tehran University. It began with the singing of revolutionary songs by students holding up placards with their demands and slogans: “No war”, “Hands Off the People of Iran”, “The university is not an army garrison”, “The liberty of women is the liberty of society”, “Free the political prisoners”, “There is an alternative”, “Free our classmates”, “The students movement allied with the workers’ and women’s movements”, “We want independent unions”.

Behzad Bagheri (archaeology student) spoke in defence of those arrested. Bita Samimizad (physics student) spoke out against the threat of war on Iran and about the activities of the women’s and workers’ movement of the past year. Bijan Sabbagh talked about the arrested students, whilst Kaveh Abbasian, representative of students who had been prevented by the government from continuing their studies, spoke of their problems and of how he narrowly escaped arrest on his way to Tehran. He reminded the government that a movement which is supported by the people cannot be defeated by those who run the system.

Roozbeh Safshekan read the declaration of the Radical Left students. There were also speeches from Peyman Piran (ex-political prisoner), Ali Ajami (student of law) and Kamran Akhshi (political science). The demonstration continued in front of the university main gate, as the students resumed their singing and yelled out their demands: “Free the imprisoned students”, “Down with the dictator”, “No to government and police brutality”, “Ahmadinejad - Pinochet! Iran will not be another Chile!”

Then the security forces started to make their arrests.They first snatched Roozbeh Safshekan. They also tried to arrest Kaveh Abbasian and Bijan Sabbagh but they were unsuccessful because other students surrounded them, allowing Kaveh and Bijan to run away. By 7pm many activists had changed their appearance and managed to leave the campus. As I write, many are in hiding, but government forces are still trying to arrest them.

However, no matter how many they arrest or whatever they do to us, our movement will not be stopped.

Communist student, Tehran

by Drew - World Peoples Resistance Movement Tue Dec 11, 2007 15:51 wprm_ireland at yahoo dot com

The following is an extract from the text of a leaflet issued by the Collective of Iranian Students and Youth Living in Europe.

We are the voice of the leftist students of Iran, an ever-growing force that aims "to organize anationwide movement against foreign intervention and wars, as well as internal tyranny and suppression." We "are determined to inform people of horrors such as war, but at the same time target the reactionary Islamic Republic" and "are for the basic rights of workers, toilers and oppressed nations, as well as for the liberation of women and separation of religion from the state

At the moment, Bush and his European allies as well as the Islamic Republic of Iran, are trying to convince people that our only choice is between neo-liberal slavery and Islamic fundamentalism. It is up to those who believe in freedom to create and fortify a new path, a new way of thinking. Imperialists and islamic fundamentalists are two faces of the same system and any support given to one, will in reality and inevitablly lead to strengthening the other.

At the moment, Imperialist states and the reactionary religious fundamentalists are pitting people against each other in the Middle East and at the same time, they are unleashing racist and xenophobic forces against refugees, immigrants and Muslims in Europe. In such a situation, It is all the more urgent for the oppressed people of the world to raise their own independent voice, and unite further against backward religious forces in the Middle-East, racism, warmongering and imperialist occupation.