Confusion among Officials and the Basij

Confrontations with student activists have escalated following protests at Tehran and Sharif universities.  In the latest instance, last Friday 17 student activists were arrested at a park in Tehran.  Although 15 of them were released the next day, two were transferred to Evin Prison’s Ward 209.  Rooz discussed this development with Mehdi Arabshahi and Bahareh Hedayat, as well as the brother of Ahmad Ahmadian, one of the students who was transferred to Evin.

Ten Hours of Interrogation in 24 Hours

Mehdi Arabshahi, secretary of the Tahim Vahdat organization, who was among the 17 arrested students on Friday, told Rooz, “On Friday we and members of Islamic student associations at other universities gathered at the Jamshidiyeh park in Tehran to spend the weekend together and discuss recent events.  I arrived late, and after 10 minutes about 40 people attacked us out of nowhere, arrested all of us and took us to the ministry of intelligence.”  

According to Tahkim Vahdat’s secretary, the detained students were interrogated for more than 10 hours during the 24-hour detention period.  Mr. Arabshahi said, “They questioned us for more than ten hours about Friday’s meeting and the general activities of Daftar Tahkim in recent months, and student protests at Tehran and Sharif universities.  Then they gave us a statement and said we had to sign it.”  

“The statement was an undertaking that we would not violate the law. In reality however, all our activities are within the bounds of law.  I crossed out part of the statement that said we promise not to repeat our actions and then signed it.  After signing the statement they released 15 of us, but said that they would summon us again.”

Detained Students at Evin’s Ward 209
The brother of Ahmad Ahmadian, who was arrested on Friday, told Rooz, “Ahmad has had no contacts with his family yet, and our follow ups have been unsuccessful.”

Mr. Ahmadian described his brother’s charge as “acting against national security,” adding, “We went to the ministry of intelligence twice, but they said my brother and his colleague Mr. Torbati had been transferred to Evin Prison’s Ward 209, and said we have to follow up with the Revolutionary Court.”

Confusion among Security Officials

Bahareh Hedayat, head of Daftar Tahkim’s public relations office, cites the confusion of country’s security officials for the escalating pressure on student activists.  She told Rooz, “The officials engaged in several actions since one month before universities opened to prevent any student protests and preempt the students’ activism.  These actions ranged from Mr. Khamenei’s speech slamming humanities to the unjustifiable summons and detentions of students, which points to the confusion of the country’s security officials.”