Iranian students hold rare protest against government crackdown

Iranian students protested at Tehran University on Sunday against a government crackdown on activists, The Associated Press reported the same day. It was the second demonstration in less than a week.

One witness, Mehdi Arabshahi, said the protest lasted more than two hours as students rallied against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s hardline administration.

“Students chanted against policies by Ahmadinejad’s administration, which is imposing pressures on the universities and detaining activists,” Arabshahi said.

A protest at Tehran University last week resulted in the arrest of 33 students and activists, including four women, a left-wing student group reported.

Iran’s students were previously the power base for Iran’s reform movement, but have faced pressure from Ahmadinejad’s government, resulting in fewer anti-government protests.

State media also reported that the Intelligence Ministry had detained a group of activists who had planned to hold an illegal gathering at Tehran University, although it did not say how many were arrested, or when.

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