Day 39: Protesting Students Clash With Security Forces

Students in dozens of Iran cities and towns gathered at universities on Tuesday, 25 October, to stage rallies as anti-government protests continued for the 39th straight day.

Students at Beheshti University, Tarbiat Modares University, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran Azad University and Hakim Sabzevari University defied orders to return to classes and clashed with Basij paramilitary forces.

The ongoing nationwide protests was triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police after she was arrested for allegedly wearing the hijab incorrectly.

The heavy-handed government crackdown on the protesters has killed at least 234 people, including 29 children, according to one human rights organization. Several thousand people have been arrested.

Amini's family has come under pressure from security forces to cancel a planned ceremony in her hometown in Kurdistan province to mark 40 days since her death, a human rights organization said on Tuesday. Hengaw reported that government intelligence agencies have ordered the mourning family to release a statement cancelling the ceremony or Ashkan, Mahsa's brother, will be arrested.

Ahead of the planned ceremony in the town of Saqqez, schools and universities in the province were closed due to what officials called a "flu outbreak."

And according to the screenshots that were published on social networks on Tuesday night, security agencies have sent text messages threatening doctors that if they participate in a rally or sign a statement, they will be "identified" and "prosecuted."

What happened on the 39th day?

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More university students across Iran defied orders to return to class on Sunday as the authorities alleged that a student in the capital had committed suicide. 

Young men and women, including university students, have been at the forefront of the movement, and intelligence agencies have tightened the security situation at campuses across the country.

Social media footage showed the students chanting the slogan "Women of freedom, life" outside Azad University of Tehran. Another video showed students marching in Tehran's Imam Hossein Square.

At the Noshirvani University of Babol, students protested against the Islamic Republic by clapping their hands and shouting slogans calling for freedom.

At Tarbiat Modares University, video clips showed students chanting "Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is invalid,” in reference to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

IranWire received a video showing students at Hakim Sabzevari University in Sabzevar chanting the slogan "Freedom, Freedom, Freedom" are calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.

Tehran school incident

Details are emerging on a violent incident at a Tehran girls’ high school where the management apparently conducted a brutal inspection of the students.

Jahan Sanat newspaper quoted a local resident as saying that security agents stormed Sadr girls’ high school on October 24 after some students called their parents to tell them that the school principal “beat up and searched” girls who had cell phones with them.

When the girls’ families arrived at the school, the main gate was closed and the principal did not allow them to enter, the witness said, while “school staff broke the students' phones and called the police."

According to the Education Ministry, the school was the scene of a clash between school staff, students and parents, but denied that security forces entered the facility.

IranWire has also received information that security forces entered the school, searching and beating up students.

Videos circulating on social media showed heavily armed security forces gathering outside the facility. One clip shows them on motorbikes and firing at least one tear gas canister.

Several students were injured, including a 16-year-old girl named Sana Soleimani who was transferred to Luqman hospital after her condition worsened, according to the 1500tasvir Twitter account.

The Education Ministry said several students were treated by emergency services for a drop in blood pressure.

An eyewitness was cited as saying a teenage student who was in very bad condition was put into an ambulance.

"I hope she recovers. There were no signs of injury on her, but her mouth was full of foam. Some students said she had epilepsy. The stress and anxiety of the students had increased so much that the girl who had epilepsy had a seizure."

Mahsa Amini's family under pressure

Amini's family were under pressure from security forces to cancel a ceremony planned for Wednesday, 26 October, to mark 40 days since her death, according to Hengaw.

The human rights group reported that government intelligence agencies have ordered the mourning family to release a statement cancelling the ceremony or Ashkan, Mahsa's brother, will be arrested.

"Mahsa Amini’s family is under a lot of pressure from the Iranian security agencies to issue a statement regarding the ceremony marking 40 days since Mahsa’s death. Her brother and other relatives have been threatened with arrest," it reported.

A statement attributed to Amini's family was published on Tuesday, saying that "in order to prevent any unfortunate issues" the ceremony will not go ahead.