MP: 150 students arrested in connection with January 2017 protests
Parvaneh Salahshouri, head of the parliamentary women's faction, said on Tuesday, July 9, that 150 students were arrested during the protests in January 2017 and thereafter.
According to ILNA, Ms. Salahshouri, referring to the role of the Ministry of Intelligence in issuing judicial sentences to some students, stated that judicial sentences were issued to 17 students in only a few universities, and the figure of five presented by the Ministry of Science is incorrect.
He also called the role of the government's Ministry of Intelligence as a judicial officer in many student cases undeniable, and said: "The Ministry of Intelligence has a role in the judicial cases of some students; therefore, the government and the Ministry of Intelligence must explain this matter."
Previously, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of parliament, had also said that the students' sentences were issued based on reports and interrogations by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Hassan Rouhani government.
The protesting students had previously accused the Rouhani government's Ministry of Intelligence of being responsible for the arrest of the students and, in discussions with officials from the Ministry of Science, had strongly criticized the Rouhani government's performance in this regard.
The "vast scale" of the arrests
Parvaneh Salahshouri, continuing her interview with ILNA, emphasized that a list of students arrested after the events of January 2017 has been prepared, and their number exceeds 150.
The MP added: "Although we know that the existing list is probably not a definitive list and is not 100 percent accurate, complete, and reliable, it nevertheless clearly shows that the number of students arrested in recent months has exceeded 55 and 90, etc., as announced at some points, and unfortunately, the issue of student arrests has broader dimensions."
Ms. Salahshouri also announced the preparation of a list of 17 students who have been convicted in court.
He added: "A list of the details of some students who have been sentenced to imprisonment, flogging, fines, or bans on leaving the country, and deprived of some social rights, has also been prepared in the first instance court since January."
During the nationwide protests in January 2017 in more than 100 cities in Iran, dozens of students were arrested, and some members of parliament, including Farid Mousavi, announced that their arrests were "preventive."
This is despite the fact that last month, the Tehran prosecutor cited their connections with "special groups" abroad as the reason for issuing heavy sentences for some of these students.
Source: Radio Farda
