Tuesday
Dec082009
Iran: It Isn't Over - The Protests of 17 Azar (8 December)
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 20:05 
Josh Shahryar reviews today's events:Don’t count the protesters out just yet. Students in Tehran University were viciously attacked today by security forces and Basijis today as they tried to demonstrations. There are two conflicting reasons for the tensions and clashes.
The first scenario is that students walked out of classes to protest in front of the Technical Faculty of the University against the arrest of their classmates yesterday. With the expectation of another day of protests in light of student calls for a fresh round of dissent, security was already tight, with the university besieged by thousands of security forces. As the students tried to gather in front of the Faculty, security forces stormed the campus.
The second scenario is that security forces stormed the university first and started beating students as they sat in classes.
So far, the first scenario seems to have more eye-witness support. Looking at videos, eye-witness accounts and other Iranian media sources, it seems almost certain that the number of students actively protesting was over a thousand. The number could be larger, but this cannot be confirmed immediately.
During the clashes, security forces accompanied by Basiji militia used batons, stun guns, and pepper spray to disperse students. Videos showed students fleeing attacks and taking refuge inside the campus classrooms. Other videos showed them pushing back. There were reports that several students were arrested and locked up in classrooms.
Within a few hours, the security forces gave up on breaking the protest. Students continued to chant slogans against the government as the units left the campus, including "Free political prisoners", "Students in prisons, Thugs are Free", "Ahmadi can't handle us!”
Aat least five university students were confirmed to have been arrested by security forces. The number could rise, however, as more news comes in.
There were reports that later in the evening, Basijis attacked the campus again, but this could not be confirmed. It seems certain that the confrontation in the university will not end as students have called for more protests tomorrow.
There were reports of similar attacks by security forces and Basijis in at least three other universities in Tehran. Videos released of a protest in Kerman University showed protesters chanting anti-government slogans inside an auditorium. Numbers were in dozens in the video.
So far the outflow of news about protests is restricted as the fresh round caught everyone off guard. There will be another update if there is more news.
Reader Comments (7)
I especially liked the inclusion of chants protesters shouted part of the piece. Ahmadi Can't Handle Us will stick with me, I believe.
No mention of Iran Civil Rights. Did I imagine this or are Human Rights and Civil Rights an issue or not?
Ali,
Of course they are. The point is covering a protest. I have other articles on that issue and so does Enduring America. Let me know if you are interested in reading and I'll link you up.
Interesting observation that today's demonstrations caught everyone (including the activists) off guard. That is very ominous for the regime.
It is also my understanding from various articles that the police are not really in line with the Basij, and not all Basij are as motivated as they appear. Khamenei is not so popular that he can count on 100% agreement from police and security force personnel, so there could be a breaking point soon. I'm actually a bit surprised it hasn't come already.
[...] Und es geht weiter … 8. Dezember 2009 — Thomas v. der Osten-Sacken Enduringamerica ueber die auch heute fortdauernden Proteste: [...]
Very Interesting article. If you found this interesting, you would also like what is found here. www.nationalsecuritylawbrief.com. There is lots of scholarly debate about the correct approach to dealing with the Iranian regime.
Again a great summary, many thanks Josh.