Protest rally of students from various universities in Tehran

A protest rally by students from various universities in Tehran was held in front of Tehran University amid tight security and with slogans against Azad University officials. At the same time, a call for a rally was issued on social media for Tuesday, January 1.

This was the third consecutive day of student protests in response to the deadly bus accident at the Azad University Research Center, which killed ten people and injured 28 others, one of whom is reported to be in critical condition.

Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari, the commander of the police force, had warned on the eve of the rally: "Students should know that holding any rally requires obtaining permission from the Ministry of Interior."

Since the evening of Sunday, December 30, calls have been circulating on social media inviting students and the public to participate in a protest rally in front of Tehran University.

Since Monday afternoon, January 10, videos from different corners of the protest rally in front of Tehran University have been published on social media.

Saham News reported on the crackdown on this gathering, but this news has not yet been confirmed by other sources and media.

At this rally, slogans such as "Incompetent official, resign, resign," "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are all together," and "Back to the enemy, facing the homeland" were chanted.

The deputy political and security officer of the Tehran governorate said in this regard that “opportunistic individuals gathered in front of Tehran University.” He added: “This gathering was illegal and of course the situation is under control.” He stated that “there are hands at work to make the atmosphere unstable.”

Social media reported hundreds of people participating in the protest. It is said that groups of students from various universities in Tehran, including Tehran University, Sharif Institute of Technology, Amir Kabir University, and the University of Science and Technology, were present. It is said that groups of ordinary citizens joined the protest as a sign of solidarity.

According to ISNA news agency, Abdolazim Rezaei put the number of protesters at 20 to 30 and added: "These gatherings did not require permission from the governor or governorate because they were held inside the university. But today, some opportunistic individuals had scattered gatherings in front of Tehran University."

Videos published on social media show that armed security forces were simultaneously present on the campus of the University of Science and Research in northern Tehran to prevent student gatherings from forming like in previous days.

So far, Azad University officials have not shown any significant reaction to the fatal overturning of a bus carrying science and research students. The reactions have been mostly excusative.

Criticism is particularly directed at Ali Akbar Velayati, the chairman of the university's board of trustees, who has so far remained silent and has even refused to express regret.

In this accident, 9 students, as well as the father of one of the students who was on the bus with his daughter, were killed and 28 others were injured, but none of the university officials have apologized yet. In his interviews with reporters, the president of Azad University has only said that the responsibility for this incident lies with the former officials of Azad University.

According to ISNA, Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the reformist faction in the parliament, referring to the presence of the president of Azad University in the meeting of the Education and Research Commission, said: "The president of Azad University is scheduled to present a report to the commission."

Aref added: "Our expectation is that there will be no evasion at Azad University in the face of this incident; in any case, the current administrators of this university are responsible. When they accept responsibility, they must be aware, understand the situation, and quickly resolve the problems."

He reminded: "The use of substandard and unreliable vehicles is not justifiable, as some of these vehicles have apparently not had a technical inspection for the past few years. The technical inspection of the bus that caused the accident was in 2012, which is the bitter result of this incident."

Calls in solidarity with the students of Azad University have been published on social media, and citizens across the country have been asked to attend university squares across the country on Tuesday, January 1, to mark the seventh anniversary of the deaths of those killed in the incident.

Source: DW