Severe Beating of Detainees at Gathering Outside Tehran University

The website Kaleme reported that several participants in the gathering outside Tehran University last Monday were arrested and 'all of them were beaten.' This website reported on Tuesday, January 8, that some of the detained women were transferred to the women's political prisoners' section and the detained men to the sections of Evin Prison. According to this website, the detained women, one of whom is 65 years old, were 'severely beaten' to the extent that one of them 'was unable to sit on her legs and another suffered severe head injuries' and had difficulty walking. Based on this report, cases have been opened for these individuals in Branch 4 of the Evin Prison Prosecutor's Office. This website did not mention the number of detainees or their identities. The report from Kaleme was published while Abdolazim Rezayi, the political-security deputy of the Tehran governorate, had previously stated that no one was arrested at this gathering. Last Monday, the gathering took place outside Tehran University following protests by students of the Islamic Azad University’s Science and Research Unit in response to the authorities' lack of accountability regarding a bus overturning incident. In recent weeks, coinciding with the anniversary of last year's December protests, calls for participation in protest gatherings have been published. In recent months, various professional groups, including educators and workers in Iran, have repeatedly gathered and protested due to their poor living conditions. Recently, Ali Mohammad Naeini, an advisor to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, predicted that 'two major upheavals' would occur in Iran in 1998. The leader and other officials of the Islamic Republic have also warned about the possibility of widespread protests in the coming year.