Uncertain status of detained students in Iran
The Iranian Students' Union Council, announcing that it still does not have information on the number and status of the detained students, held the Ministry of Science directly responsible for the possible dangers to these students.
The Iranian Students' Union Council issued a statement on its Telegram channel on Tuesday, December 12, stating that "more than two weeks have passed since the beginning of the November protests and the arrest of a large number of students, there is still no official and reliable statistics on the total number of detainees at universities across the country."
According to the statement, "reports obtained from detention centers, along with the lack of information about the case process, place of detention, and health status of students whose names have been confirmed and published on the list of detainees," increase concerns about the situation of students, especially those whose "specifications are not available."
The National Student Union Council reported that many of the detained students are "deprived of the right to make phone calls," and given this lack of information about their situation and the detainees' lack of access to lawyers and legal guidance, there is a "possibility" of them making false confessions against themselves.
The union council further held the "Ministry of Science directly responsible for the dangers facing these students" and announced that the ministry was "obliged to pursue the unconditional release" of these students.
According to the Iranian Students' Union, Soha Mortezaei, Kamyar Zoghi, Saeed Ahmadzadeh Saeed Mohebi, Mohammad Babaei, Hamid Bina, Hamidreza Safari, and Abolfazl Nejadfateh, students from the University of Tehran, along with Yashar Dar-e-Shifa from the University of Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, are among the students arrested in recent days. However, no other statistics are available on the number of students arrested.
Earlier, student union councils reported on Tuesday, November 10, that 40 to 50 students were arrested during protests against the high price of gasoline at the university. Plainclothes police arrived in several ambulances to arrest the students.
In July of last year, Human Rights Watch issued a statement announcing that Iranian authorities had intensified their repression of protesting students by issuing prison sentences and placing restrictions on peaceful activities.
The US State Department has also repeatedly condemned the violent confrontations and widespread repression of protesters and opponents of the regime under various pretexts, as well as the repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by the ruling regime in that country.
Source: Voice of America
