Protests by Hundreds of Students in Front of Tehran University Dormitory - 2002-11-09

Hundreds of Iranian students have gathered in front of the Tehran University dormitory to protest the sentence issued for Hashem Agha Jari, a university professor and prominent reformist in Iran. This is the largest student protest in the past four years. Witnesses report that about 400 to 500 students have assembled at the main entrance of the Tehran University dormitory. The police have closed the surrounding streets. No violent incidents have been reported yet. The students were chanting in support of Hashem Agha Jari, a history professor. This demonstration comes a day after the Islamic Association of Students called on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran, to halt the execution of this sentence. No date has been announced for the execution. The issuance of a death sentence for Hashem Agha Jari, who is a close ally of Mohammad Khatami, is a new blow to the reformist movement in Iran. Over the past 30 months, conservatives have imprisoned dozens of journalists and intellectuals to suppress dissent.