Iranian security forces attacked a peaceful student rally today at Tehran’s Amir Kabir University of Technology. The rally was organized by students to mark the 40th day of the death of the 176 victims of Ukrainian international flight PS752, shot down by the regime in early January.
Hundreds of students gathered on the campus of Amir Kabir University, also known as Tehran Polytechnic, holding up signs that criticized the regime. They also called for a national boycott of upcoming February 21 Majlis elections.
Feb 16 Amir Kabir University, Tehran #Iran
Amir Kabir students gathered today to protest the regime's brutal crackdown against #IranProtests, & the downing of #PS752. They're also demanding the release of political prisoners.
"1,500 were killed in Nov. protests", they chant. pic.twitter.com/ucmimV2Hlv— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) February 16, 2020
The students chanted, “People are struggling with poverty, (officials) only care about getting votes”, and “No to the ballot box, no to the vote, election boycott”.
Students also condemned the regime’s brutal crackdown of nationwide protests in November 2019, when security forces shot and killed at least 1,500 civilians and protesters.
“1,500 people were killed in November,” they chanted.
The young men and women also chanted, “Phony security, empty republic”, “IRGC, you are our murderers”, “Don’t call me a seditionist, you’re the sedition you tyrant!”
They also called for release of political prisoners.
The students held up handwritten signs which read, “United we will resist”.
According to videos posted on social media, agents who were standing on the sidelines of the rally attacked students while they were reading their rally statement.
Feb 16 Amir Kabir University, Tehran #Iran
Plainclothes agents tried to arrest a student today during a peaceful student rally as other students chanted, "let him go!"
"What do you want with him you animal?!" a girl cries out in the student's defense. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/6ntqjfxo4e— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) February 16, 2020
Videos showed security forces violently arresting a student while other students cried out for them to let him go.
One girl was also heard calling security forces, “animals” demanding to know why they were arresting him.
In their rally statement, which was read out by a student and was also posted on a student Telegram channel, the students said that the only way forward was taking “action” against the regime and that the solution to the current problems could not be found within the current system.
In their statement, the students cited the Iranian people’s struggles for freedom in the past 100 years including during the Constitutional Revolution in the early 1900’s, the 1979 revolution that ended Iran’s monarchy, and the current struggle for freedom against Iran’s theocracy.
On the night of January 11, when Iranian officials admitted to shooting down the Ukrainian Airliner after three days, angry Amir Kabir University students held major rallies inside and outside the university.
Several people on the flight were students and alumni of some of Iran’s most prestigious universities.
Joined by other universities in Tehran and by ordinary Iranians, they targeted their anger at the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and demanded regime change.
Source » irannewswire