Sadeghi: Heavy Sentences Against Students Based on Reports from Rouhani's Intelligence Ministry

While protests against heavy sentences against detained students from December continue in Iranian universities, a member of parliament announced that these sentences were issued based on reports and interrogations by the Intelligence Ministry of Hassan Rouhani's government. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, tweeted on Thursday, July 7, stating: "According to received information, heavy sentences against student activists were issued based on reports and interrogations by the Intelligence Ministry of the Hope and Prudence government." He added: "Mr. Rouhani! Do you remember saying: 'I am not a colonel, I am a lawyer' / 'I seek refuge in God from tyranny; from silencing opponents...'?!" In December, during widespread protests in Iran, more than a hundred students, mainly in Tehran, were arrested. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic did not announce the charges against the detainees, but Farid Mousavi, a member of parliament, described these arrests as "preventive." In recent weeks, initial sentences for some of these students have been announced, leading to protests at universities in Tehran. According to student sources, Sina Darvish Omran and Ali Mozaffari, a graduate and a current student at the University of Tehran, were each sentenced to "eight years in prison" and "prohibition from political activities and presence in cyberspace." The exact number of students whose sentences have been issued recently is unclear, with various statistics provided by several officials of the Islamic Republic. Shahindokht Molaverdi, the special assistant to the President for Citizen Affairs, stated last Saturday: "Sentences have been issued for 11 protesting students, most of whom are from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Tehran." Last week, one of the largest protests was held at this faculty, where protesters demanded a dialogue with the Minister of Science. However, the Minister of Science sent his deputy, Gholamreza Ghafari, who was the former head of the same faculty, instead of attending himself. According to ISNA, during that protest, students criticized Rouhani's government's performance regarding students and held his Intelligence Ministry responsible for the students' arrests. On the other hand, Mansour Gholami, the Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, emphasized that this issue "relates to the judges" and stated that he had spoken about this matter with "officials of the judiciary." On July 6, Gholami told reporters that "the sentences issued for students also seem to us to have a high ceiling" and that he had discussed this matter with judiciary officials. The public disclosure of students' sentences began several months ago, and it was previously reported that Leila Hassan-Zadeh, Mohsen Haqshenas, and Sina Rabiei, students at the University of Tehran, were sentenced to six, two, and one year in prison, respectively, along with a ban on leaving the country. Hassan Rouhani, during the 2013 electoral campaign, promised to return deprived students to universities and eliminate the "security atmosphere" in universities. However, various student groups have repeatedly protested against the "security nature" of university environments and the "starred status" of students in recent years.