Protest and Clashes at University Dormitory; 'Four Students Arrested'

A group of students residing in the boys' dormitory of Tehran University held a protest in response to the death of their fellow student, Amir Mohammad Khalighi, and the lack of security on the routes leading to the university dormitory. According to reports, this protest escalated into clashes with security forces and plainclothes agents. On Friday, February 26, students protested against the policies of Tehran University and the lack of security in 'Jannat Alley', which leads to the western entrance of the dormitory and the engineering faculty. Amir Kabir Newsletter reports that following the intervention of security agents and the outbreak of clashes, at least 'four students were arrested'. Videos released show protesting students chanting slogans such as 'Students will die, but will not accept humiliation' and 'The blood that is shed cannot be washed away with anything', demanding the resignation of Tehran University officials. Furthermore, reports indicate clashes occurred at the entrance of the boys' dormitory and a heavy security atmosphere around the boys' dormitory complex and the Chamran girls' dormitory at Tehran University. According to the Telegram channel of the Student Guild Councils, several students who attempted to join the protest at the main entrance of the dormitory faced obstruction from the dormitory security, which chained the main entrance to prevent their entry. This obstruction reportedly led to the formation of protests inside and outside the main entrance, ultimately intensifying student protests. There was also a significant presence of special security forces and plainclothes agents around the boys' dormitory and the Chamran girls' dormitory. The Telegram channel of the Student Guild Councils published images sent by students showing severe clashes between students and university security forces at the main entrance kiosk of the boys' dormitory. This channel also reported that a female student was 'beaten' by a plainclothes agent, and university security transferred her to the security room. Some reports indicated that this agent was 'arrested' by students, who then claimed that security 'helped him escape', which was met with student chants. Amir Kabir Newsletter also released reports of clashes between students and agents, along with a video of Hossein Hosseini, the acting head of Tehran University, addressing protesting students, stating that, similar to the events of July 9, 1999, this time 'plainclothes agents' were responsible for escalating student protests into violence. He emphasized that these individuals aim to take the clashes to the streets. News websites such as Khabar Online and the Student News Agency, affiliated with conservatives, confirmed that on Friday, protesting students held a demonstration at Tehran University without mentioning the clashes. Tehran police confirmed in a statement on Thursday the death of a Tehran University student while returning to the dormitory and identified him as 19-year-old Amir Mohammad Khalighi. According to police, this student was attacked by 'two motorcycle thieves' while returning to the student dormitory in the Amirabad area of Tehran and was killed. Police reports indicate that surveillance camera footage shows the thieves attacked Khalighi with a knife while stealing his backpack, ultimately leading to his death due to knife wounds 'to the respiratory tract' after being transferred to the hospital. Following the release of these reports, several Tehran University students expressed their grievances on social media regarding the lack of necessary measures to ensure the safety of students residing in dormitories, reminding that they had repeatedly warned about the secluded and unsafe nature of the area behind the university dormitory. In the aftermath of Amir Mohammad Khalighi's death, the judiciary announced that the case would be handled in the 'special branch of the Tehran prosecutor's office.'