Student Protests Against Ahmadinejad Continue In Tehran
By Golnaz
Esfandiari, RFE/RL
Hundreds of students have staged an anti-government demonstration at Tehran's
Sharif University, the second such protest in two days. Many students were
chanting "Death to the Dictator" and "Political Prisoners Must Be Released," in
reference to the more than 100 people still jailed in Iran following
postelection street protests in June.
The students said the protests will continue as
long as the government of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is in power.
A student who participated in the protest told RFE/RL that the protests were
also directed against Science and Education Minister
Kamran Daneshjoo, who
was at the university to inaugurate the new library and launch the new academic
year.
The student said some protesters had copies of "Nature" magazine, which last
week reported that an article published by Daneshjoo was nearly identical to one
written in 2002 by South Korean researchers. He added that students chanted "Daneshjoo
the liar, where are your articles?"
The opposition claims the June 12 vote was rigged to secure a decisive victory
for Ahmadinejad, the incumbent. The authorities deny any fraud.
Students also chanted slogans in support of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali
Montazeri and Ayatollah Yusef Sanei, who have both condemned the postelection
crackdown, as well as opposition leaders Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein Musavi.
The student who spoke to RFE/RLo said that the student chants in support of
Ayatollah Montazeri are unprecedented. The student, who did not want to be named
for fear of arrest, said he expects more anti-Ahmadinejad protests. He noted
that there was no violence at the demonstration and that he saw no arrests.
The protest at Sharif University followed a similar protest on
September 28 at Tehran University during which some 1,000 students
called for the resignation of Ahmadinejad's government .
Students wearing green T-shirts and carrying green balloons chanted "Coup
Government, Resign, Resign" and "Death to the Dictator."
Several Iranian news websites reported that at least two students were detained
by security forces.
Ahmadinejad did not attend a ceremony on the same day to mark the start of the
academic year at Tehran University, an event traditionally attended by the
president.
A student leader, Mehdi Arabashahi, told RFE/RL last week that he expects
renewed protests against Ahmadinejad's government now that the new academic year
has begun.
Iran's authorities have increased pressure on students who participated in the
postelection demonstrations and on those who campaigned for Karrubi and Musavi,
Ahamdinejad's reformist rivals.
Copyright (c) 2009 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
