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What Happened at the Student Organization?

May 24, 2026 May 24, 2026 10 min read 📰 Radio Farda
📋 Key Takeaway

Student representatives protested at the Ministry of Science over educational violations but faced physical confrontation from security forces. Meanwhile, homeless individuals living in graves were forcibly removed by authorities, prompting public outcry and government acknowledgment of the issue. This highlights ongoing social issues in Iran, including government repression and homelessness.

🔍 Quick Context Guide
💡 Bottom Line: The violent crackdown on student protests indicates rising tensions between the Iranian government and civil society.

👥 Key Players

Mojtaba Sadeqi QUOTED
Deputy Minister and Head of the Student Organization
"Initially, they allowed us to enter; we received entry cards at the front door."
Saeed Malekshah QUOTED
Secretary of the Student Guild Council at Sharif University
"The security officer came to us and spoke about the similarity of our behavior to that of the years '78 and '88."
Public Relations Officer of the Student Organization QUOTED
Public Relations Officer
"No beating occurred, and they are projecting blame."

⚡ Actions

Student guild organizations PROTEST Ministry of Science
"Representatives from guild councils across the country went to the Student Affairs Organization to pursue their demands."
Confidence: 90%
security personnel CRACKDOWN student representatives
"The students faced physical confrontation from security personnel when they attempted to wait in front of the Deputy Minister's office."
Confidence: 90%
student representatives NEGOTIATE Mojtaba Sadeqi
"Intending to negotiate with Mojtaba Sadeqi, the Deputy Minister and Head of the Student Organization."
Confidence: 80%

📰 What Happened

Student representatives protested at the Ministry of Science, facing violent confrontations from security forces.

  • Student guild organizations protest Ministry of Science
  • security personnel crackdown student representatives
  • student representatives negotiate Mojtaba Sadeqi

💡 Why It Matters

🇮🇷 For Iran: Because it highlights the ongoing struggle for student rights and government accountability.
🌍 Regional: Because it reflects broader issues of governance and civil rights in the region.
🌐 International: Because it may affect perceptions of Iran's human rights record.

📚 Background

The violent crackdown on student protests indicates rising tensions between the Iranian government and civil society.

📝 Key Evidence

"The students faced physical confrontation from security personnel."
→ This proves the violent response of security forces to student protests.
📡 Source: INDEPENDENT
📊 Confidence: 80%
Radio Farda is known for its critical stance towards the Iranian government.

The newspaper Shargh reported under the headline "What Happened at the Student Organization?" about the presence and sit-in of representatives from student guild organizations at the Ministry of Science building. On Tuesday, "representatives from guild councils across the country went to the Student Affairs Organization to pursue their demands, intending to negotiate with Mojtaba Sadeqi, the Deputy Minister and Head of the Student Organization, regarding the blatant violations of this organization in the recent educational announcement." However, despite this meeting being pre-arranged, the students faced "physical confrontation from security personnel" when they attempted to wait in front of the Deputy Minister's office. Saeed Malekshah, the Secretary of the Student Guild Council at Sharif University, told the newspaper: "Initially, they allowed us to enter; we received entry cards at the front door, but we were not allowed to go to the [Deputy Minister's] office. When we wanted to go upstairs to Dr. Sadeqi's office, we were blocked with punches and kicks. This led us to open a path and sit in front of Mr. Sadeqi's office," but "the security officer came to us and spoke about the similarity of our behavior to that of the years '78 and '88, stating that you are like those students and will be dealt with harshly." The newspaper Shargh quoted Saeed Malekshah as saying: "Despite the fact that the working hours of the Student Organization are until 4 PM, this organization closed at 2 PM, and the police entered the building, not allowing anyone else to enter." However, the Public Relations Officer of the Student Organization at the Ministry of Science denied the "beating of students" and stated: "A number of members of the guild council came to the Student Organization to see Dr. Sadeqi, who was not present; no beating occurred, and they are projecting blame." Nevertheless, the newspaper Shargh reported that despite this denial, it has "videos of the altercations." The newspaper Shahrvand dedicated a photo in its Wednesday issue to the "collection of grave sleepers" and quoted one of these homeless citizens, stating that on Tuesday morning, following the publication of a report about 50 homeless individuals who had sought refuge from the winter cold in empty graves at Nasirabad Cemetery, officials went to the cemetery and removed the homeless people from there. Maryam Roustaei, in a report on Tuesday in the Shahrvand newspaper about the "grave sleepers of Nasirabad," wrote: "The cold has driven cardboard sleepers to settle around and inside the large Nasirabad Cemetery in the outskirts of Shahriar," and while there are "300 prepared graves in this cemetery, at least 50 cardboard sleepers occupy 20 graves, with one person, and sometimes three to four people living in each grave." One of these homeless individuals told the same newspaper that on Tuesday morning, hours after the publication of this report, "a group came and dispersed us with punches and kicks; they were from the municipality and the police station. Those we saw were not in special uniforms; they just wanted to disperse us. They took our belongings and left, but not everyone's belongings. They just told us to go outside." The Shahrvand newspaper quoted one of the "beaten grave sleepers" as saying: "I was asleep when suddenly someone lifted the plastic off the grave and told me, 'Get up, hurry up, get up.' By the time I realized what was happening, I felt a stone hit my head; look here, there’s a wound, it’s from the stone that hit my head. They took pictures of us." Another grave sleeper from Nasirabad told the newspaper: "We have people here who have lived in this Nasirabad cemetery for 10 years; we want nothing but a shelter, a warm home. During this time, no one paid attention to us; I don’t know how it suddenly occurred to them to remember us and instead of helping, they threw us out of the cemetery." According to this newspaper, on Tuesday, the People's Communication Center of the Presidency also emphasized in a statement "the follow-up on the Nasirabad cemetery issue until a final result is achieved and the problem is resolved," and "the Shahriar Governorate also witnessed an urgent meeting. Following that, the Tehran Governor ordered the Shahriar Governor to follow up on the issue," and even Saeed Najafi, the Shahriar Governor, went to the Nasirabad cemetery, where he "did not deny the presence of wandering addicts in that area but deemed parts of the published report undocumented, stating: 'The Nasirabad cemetery in Shahriar County is one of the closest points to the capital, which unfortunately, despite having a guard, wandering addicts frequent.'" Zahra Jafarzadeh in the Shahrvand newspaper reported: "The Shahriar Governor saw the addicts in the Nasirabad cemetery up close, accompanied by a number of journalists; they all went and saw the graves that had been emptied a few hours earlier and returned. Now, among the 300 empty graves of Nasirabad cemetery, only one person remains; Behrouz. He remains alone in the grave, next to 299 empty graves," and says, "The officials came, beat everyone, took their belongings, and left. Now, only I am left here." The newspaper Qanoon also reported in its Wednesday issue under the headline "About Shame" that the renowned Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, in response to the "grave sleeping in Nasirabad," wrote an open letter to Hassan Rouhani, stating: "I read the shocking report about the lives of men, women, and children who spend the cold nights in the graves of one of the cemeteries around Tehran, and now I am filled with shame and grief. By means of this letter to you, I intend to share this shame with all those who have held responsibility in this land over the past thirty-seven years." Asghar Farhadi also wrote: "I know that some politicians will use such reports and news as a pretext to heat up the political and electoral games, but alas, the warmth of this furnace will not warm the frail bodies of children, women, and men who sleep in the corners of graves, among the trees in parks, and under bridges." Mira Ghobani Far in the Qanoon newspaper wrote about Asghar Farhadi's open letter to Hassan Rouhani: "Perhaps the official audience of this letter is Hassan Rouhani, but it is written for the record in history and for all those officials who have sat on the throne of power for 37 years and have not seen the living dead in graves." Newspapers close to the principlist faction published statements from some senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and several judicial officials, as well as the Secretary of the Guardian Council, against Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the candidates who protested the 2009 presidential election. The newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz reported that Hossein Najat, who was appointed on Tuesday by the Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC as the Deputy Head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, stated: "The house arrest of these individuals occurred a year after the sedition and on February 25, 2010," after the opponents of Bashar al-Assad's march in Syria "the leaders of the sedition also urged the people to take to the streets and express solidarity with the detainees in Syria, and this call led the Supreme National Security Council to request their house arrest on February 25, 2010." The newspaper Hemayat, affiliated with the prison organization, quoted Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, the Deputy Head of the Judiciary, as saying that in 2009 "we faced a color revolution" and "today those who speak of lifting the house arrest are oblivious to the dimensions of the issue and think that the entire sedition was related to those two individuals, and decisions were made about them." The same newspaper quoted Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, regarding the 2009 protests, stating: "Some naive individuals think that the sedition was just that a number of people claimed fraud in the elections and dragged the people into the streets, causing chaos for eight months," but "the seditionists sought a secular government under the supervision of America." Abdullah Ganji, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Javan, close to the IRGC, wrote in the editorial of this newspaper, referring to the fact that Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, took five steps to "confront the leaders of the sedition" or the candidates who protested the 2009 election, stating that in "winter 2010 coincided with the Arab revolutions," and the possibility of "Tunisia-izing" Iran "required the regime to make another decision in the new environment." The editorial writer of this newspaper stated: "Among the three options of arrest and detention, trial leading to execution, and media house arrest, the third option was chosen so that perhaps in their solitude and loneliness, they would reflect and contemplate, which was still of no benefit." The newspaper Kayhan, in its front page, quoted the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic as saying: "The unprecedented incident of January 9 was brought about by the intellectual power of the people." This newspaper simultaneously quoted Hossein Salami, the Deputy Commander of the IRGC, as stating: "The house arrest of the leaders of the sedition and their exclusion from the minds of society is the smallest action of the Islamic system against them, and the treachery of the leaders of the sedition is a dangerous, destructive, and unforgivable treachery." The newspaper Arman dedicated its front page to Eshaq Jahangiri and quoted Hassan Rouhani's first deputy as saying: "To those who criticize, we must say that your policy was the one that brought the economic space of the country to the brink and put the revolutionary forces against each other. You brought the country to the bottom of the valley, and we have brought it up a few steps from the bottom of the valley, but it is still in the valley. The inflation, recession, and per capita income statistics in 2012 were so bad that no matter how hard we try, we cannot compensate for the damage caused by the gentlemen." The newspaper Javan, while publishing a photo of Eshaq Jahangiri with the headline "People should not be afraid, the dollar is with us," wrote: "Jahangiri's reassurance to the people to trust the government in controlling the 4200 tomans dollar and inflation and the rising prices of goods has led experts to believe that the rising dollar is primarily the government's doing, which can control it when necessary and reassure the people." The changing battlefield of the "proxy forces"; the war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. 1300 hours of internet outages; Witkaf: A horrific massacre occurred during the protests in Iran. The shadow of war over Tehran; "Trump is seeking decisive military options against Iran." The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. Trump emphasizes "stopping executions in Iran": We do not know what will happen in the future. Trump says if the Islamic Republic attempts to assassinate him, "it will be wiped off the face of the earth."

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Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →

Translation confidence: 85%

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