Iranian opposition website RaheSabz, via Inside Iran, reports that the crackdown on Iranian universities has intensified as the anniversary of the disputed June 2009 elections approaches.
On 10 May 2010, students of Shahid Beheshti University protested an unannounced visit to their campus by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The students were met with a large number of security forces upon entering the university grounds, with members of the police, security forces, and basij militias guarding key routes around the campus.
The pattern of secrecy and security surrounding Ahmadinejad’s university visits is emblematic of a concerted approach to possible protests against the government in the weeks leading up to the June 12 anniversary of the controversial presidential elections last year. On April 27, opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Moussavi called for Green Movement supporters to protest on the anniversary of the elections.
While RaheSabz reported that the students were numbered at approximately 1000, RajaNews, a pro-government website put the number at roughly 100. YouTube videos of the demonstrations showed that the numbers far exceed what RajaNews had reported.
Ahmadinejad refrained from visiting any university following widespread student demonstrations against the current Minister of Science, Research, and Technology who as a member of the Interior Ministry, was in charge of counting votes during the disputed 2009 election.
While it has always been customary for the President to visit the University of Tehran for the new school year in September, last fall it was the Minister who gave a speech in an auditorium sealed off to students.
The visit to Shahid Beheshti University is the 2nd surprise visit by the President to a major HEI in a little over a week. On 1 May, Ahmadinejad surprised the students of the University of Tehran by giving an unannounced speech in commemoration of Iran’s Teacher’s Day.
Upon hearing of his arrival, students began protesting near the university’s Persian Literature Department and went on to the school’s main amphitheater, while shouting “death to the dictator,” “long live Moussavi, long live Karroubi,” and “the coup d’état government must resign,” according to opposition sites Kaleme and RaheSabz.
This pattern of surprise visits by Ahmadinejad marks a change in the government’s approach to universities, traditionally a hotbed of opposition sentiments and calls for reform. Lately, attendees of the president’s speeches at universities have been heavily pre-screened and are issued passes for attendance long in advance. Security and militia forces are deployed on short notice to strategic locations around entrances and the President’s itinerary, to prevent protesters from gaining any access to the event.
Traditionally, every June the President visits the University of Tehran to give a speech on the anniversary of the presidential election. It remains to be seen whether Ahmadinejad will visit the university this year, but given that Moussavi and Karroubi have already called for demonstrations, additional security measures are being implemented across universities in Tehran.
Eyewitnesses told Inside Iran that both the University of Tehran and Sharif University have had security cameras installed in key locations on campus as part of the crackdown.
On 10 May 2010, students of Shahid Beheshti University protested an unannounced visit to their campus by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The students were met with a large number of security forces upon entering the university grounds, with members of the police, security forces, and basij militias guarding key routes around the campus.
The pattern of secrecy and security surrounding Ahmadinejad’s university visits is emblematic of a concerted approach to possible protests against the government in the weeks leading up to the June 12 anniversary of the controversial presidential elections last year. On April 27, opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Moussavi called for Green Movement supporters to protest on the anniversary of the elections.
While RaheSabz reported that the students were numbered at approximately 1000, RajaNews, a pro-government website put the number at roughly 100. YouTube videos of the demonstrations showed that the numbers far exceed what RajaNews had reported.
Ahmadinejad refrained from visiting any university following widespread student demonstrations against the current Minister of Science, Research, and Technology who as a member of the Interior Ministry, was in charge of counting votes during the disputed 2009 election.
While it has always been customary for the President to visit the University of Tehran for the new school year in September, last fall it was the Minister who gave a speech in an auditorium sealed off to students.
The visit to Shahid Beheshti University is the 2nd surprise visit by the President to a major HEI in a little over a week. On 1 May, Ahmadinejad surprised the students of the University of Tehran by giving an unannounced speech in commemoration of Iran’s Teacher’s Day.
Upon hearing of his arrival, students began protesting near the university’s Persian Literature Department and went on to the school’s main amphitheater, while shouting “death to the dictator,” “long live Moussavi, long live Karroubi,” and “the coup d’état government must resign,” according to opposition sites Kaleme and RaheSabz.
This pattern of surprise visits by Ahmadinejad marks a change in the government’s approach to universities, traditionally a hotbed of opposition sentiments and calls for reform. Lately, attendees of the president’s speeches at universities have been heavily pre-screened and are issued passes for attendance long in advance. Security and militia forces are deployed on short notice to strategic locations around entrances and the President’s itinerary, to prevent protesters from gaining any access to the event.
Traditionally, every June the President visits the University of Tehran to give a speech on the anniversary of the presidential election. It remains to be seen whether Ahmadinejad will visit the university this year, but given that Moussavi and Karroubi have already called for demonstrations, additional security measures are being implemented across universities in Tehran.
Eyewitnesses told Inside Iran that both the University of Tehran and Sharif University have had security cameras installed in key locations on campus as part of the crackdown.
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