Iran: Release detained students

The number reported being held has now increased to 43.

socialistworld.net has already reported on the arrest of leftwing student activists in Iran (December18).

The number reported being held has now increased to 43. On December 22 the LSP/MAS (CWI in Belgium) is helping organise protests outside the Iranian and Us embassies in Brussels. These protests will both demand the immediate release of the detained students and show opposition to the Bush administration’s completely hypocritical claim to support democratic rights in Iran.

The following solidarity letter is also being circulated in Belgium:

We are writing to protest against the detention of Iranian student activists since December 2 and the repression of their political activities and demonstrations for "students’ day" on December 7 held the Radical Leftist students of Iran at the University of Tehran. Repression of these activities began in the days leading up to the demonstration; many left activists were threatened by the government and were urged not to go ahead with this demonstration.

We have reports from Iranian student activists that students have been harassed, arrested and detained by the Iranian government for organising and protesting.

Up to now 43 left students have been imprisoned by the regime. We have information that they are being tortured, in order to release information about the organizers of the students and workers protests.

We stand in solidarity with these student activists and actively support their right to assemble, organize, and protest and utterly condemns the repression of the Iranian government. We are linked through International Socialist Resistance to groups of students, youth and workers in countries such as Pakistan, Germany, Belgium, USA, Ireland and many more; we will be contacting our comrades in these countries to protest with us against these actions by the Iranian government.

Socialists, workers and youth across the world will be appalled and angered at brutal, repressive actions of the Iranian government and will be prepared to act in solidarity with those struggling against this repression.

We demand that the Iranian government immediately releases all activists who have been arrested and immediately ceases all harassment of political activists also that activists democratic rights to protest, organise, assemble and demonstrate are upheld.

Liked this article? We need your support to improve our work. Please become a Patron! and support our work