Civil Activist Warns Of Fresh Round Of Protests Amid Student Suppression

Amid the violent repression of protesting students, Narges Mohammadi, an imprisoned civil activist, warned about the repetition of the crackdown of university protests in 1999.

In a message published by Radio Farda, the Persian Service of Radio Free Europe in Prague, Mohammadi demanded to stop the "cruel violence against the university students".

She said: "The brutal attack and threat against the universities can spark a fresh round of protests."

According to Mohammadi, the Islamic Republic is "boasting of secret, discredited and shaky negotiations with Western governments", but the protests of students and people in Iran are "a powerful and resonating echo of the word 'no' to religious authoritarian rule".

The smashing of a student's head on the stairs by a security guard at Allameh University of Tehran this month is just one example of the violence against pupils over recent months.

Earlier, dozens of students at Tehran University of Arts were arrested after protesting the mandatory wearing of the veil.

Meanwhile, there have been several reports of increased pressure on students at various universities, even in dormitories, due to new rules on dress code, even for male students.

At the end of her message, Mohammadi asked the international human rights forums, feminist organizations, writers, and academicians of the world to "not allow the suffering society of Iran to witness another crackdown like the one in 1999".

The Kuye Daneshgah Disaster in July 1999 was one of the most widespread and violent public protests to occur in Iran since the early years of the Iranian Revolution.

During the attack, according to reports, at least six students were killed, and hundreds of people arrested following student protests against the banning of several newspapers.