3700 People Arrested in Recent Protests in Iran

A member of parliament announced that 3700 people have been arrested in recent protests in Iran. Mahmoud Sadeghi stated on Tuesday, January 9, in an interview with the House of the Nation website, affiliated with the parliament, that the total number of people arrested in the recent protests is 3700. He also mentioned that due to the fact that some students have been arrested by various security and law enforcement agencies, it is not possible to provide an exact number of arrested students. He added, 'Based on statistics from various agencies and public inquiries, the number of arrested students is estimated to be around 40 to 68, which is decreasing as many of these individuals have been released.' The arrest of several students and labor activists began last Thursday in various provinces of Iran, and Fatemeh Saeedi, a representative from Tehran, had previously reported the arrest of 90 students. According to officials from Iranian universities, some of these students have been released, but the exact number of released students has not been disclosed. In this context, Bahram Parsai, spokesperson for the Article 90 Commission of the parliament, stated on Tuesday that the Minister of Intelligence has a 'favorable view towards the release of detained students' and has 'promised' that they will be freed. In recent protests, several students have also been arrested, and the Deputy Minister of Interior for Security and Law Enforcement announced that over 90% of those arrested during the recent nationwide protests are young people and teenagers. In one instance, a representative from Izeh acknowledged that those arrested in recent protests in that area are 'mostly young people and teenagers aged 16 to 24.' Last week, officials from some provinces announced the number of detainees. For instance, Ghasem Abdollahi, head of the judiciary in Markazi province, announced on Thursday, January 4, that 396 people were arrested in that province on January 8 and 9. According to Mr. Abdollahi, 294 of these individuals were sent to prison. Ali Asghar Tahmasbi, the political, security, and social deputy governor of Golestan, also announced that 150 individuals described as 'agents' of the protests were arrested in that province. The Student News Agency, affiliated with the student Basij, reported on January 3 that 120 protesters were arrested in Rasht. Alireza Radfar, the political deputy governor of West Azerbaijan, also reported the arrest of 30 individuals in that province during recent protests. Mohammad Qayoumi, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Nazarabad County in Alborz province, reported the arrest of six individuals described as 'instigators' of the protests in that county. Rahmatollah Farahmandzadeh, the governor of Mamassani County in Fars province, also reported the arrest of 9 individuals in protests in that city. Additionally, according to ILNA news agency, Ali Asghar Nasrabakht, the deputy governor of Tehran, announced that 450 people were arrested in recent protests in Tehran. Ali Taali, the governor of Hamadan, also reported the arrest of 150 protesters. According to Fars news agency, he stated that most of the detainees are aged between 17 and 25. Gholamali Abouhamzeh, commander of the IRGC in Kerman, also announced that over 80 protesters were arrested and handed over to 'relevant authorities.' In this context, 'people are worried about another Kahrizak.' The Ministry of Education is negotiating with judicial and security officials regarding the detained students. The prosecutor of Tehran stated that 70 of the accused protesters were released within the last 48 hours. A call for the immediate release of detained students was made in a letter from 37 student organizations to the Minister of Science.