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Iranian students movement needs immediate solidarity

Iranian exiles | 13.06.2003 21:26

Repression against student protests increases in Tehran.

While all non governmental parties and Organizations are banned and their leaders and members have been executed for 24 years of brutal Islamic rule in Iran, the students movement and its demands for democracy and social justice, is the only hope which has remained for the oppressed Iranian people in their common struggle for freedom.

In 1980 the Islamic Republic of Iran crushed the students movement, closed all universities in Iran for two years, arrested tens of thousands of students and even their supporters and teachers. Many of them were tortured for years in Islamic prisons.

Again, in November 2002, a new generation of students came to action for the same demands. This time, again, the Islamic Republic crushed them fiercely, killed many of them and arrested thousands.

Now, since 10 June 2003, the students movement which is strongly supported by oppressed people, has occupied the streets and again has been facing unbelievable brutality. This time the clergy leader of the Islamic Republic (Khameneai) declared clearly that the regime is determined to crush this movement to death !

To students all over the world and all freedom lovers!

The independent students movement in Iran, has this time
decided to continue the struggle to achieve its objectives: democracy, freedom of speech and social justice. And they are going to the streets every night, hoping that everyone will hear their voice and support them.
In this very critical situation, a call goes out to all the students of the world to take action and show their immediate and very urgent solidarity in any way which they decide.

Latest news: on the third day of protest, the situation has developed to a serious barricade, over a hundred students have been arrested and the casualties are, up to now, mentioned 75 of protesters. Meanwhile the students have taken three special agents of the information ministry as peaceful hostages when they have invaded the student dormitories. Visible solidarity is more urgent than ever to protect students from brutal retaliation.

Iranian exiles

Comments

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all power to the shoras!

13.06.2003 22:25

The best thing they've suppressed was the shora (worker's councils) movement, which was HUGE after/during the Iranian revolution- committees running factories, neighbourhood committees, etc. A variety of techniques used to wage a counter-revolution- look it up on google, its very interesting and not widely known really.

adsd

They have solidarity - from the CIA

14.06.2003 10:26

Whatever the many faults of the Iranian regime, the fact that these protests are taking place, are being prominently reported and generally encouraged by the corporate media has everything to do with US attempts at further Mid-East destablisation - and nothing to do with truly democratic forces in Iran.

The US government are quite open about this, with senior figures discussing how to reshape Iran into a "more democratic country" - yeah, right, like the Shah was a democrat.

Or the new rulers of Afhganistan
Or Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Pakistan
Uzbekistan

Or any of the dozens of shitty regimes they've installed and supported.

They clearly don't give a damn about democracy, so don't hold your breath till they have a genuine free vote in Iraq.

US policy on Iran is absurd, since its belligerence is giving more credence to the hard liners (LOOK! The USA IS the Great Satan) and underming the moderates who want a more liberal society but don't necessarily want to turn their country into a privatized, deregulated playground for US capital.

Auntie Beeb

Looking askance

15.06.2003 18:35

When the USA puts a country (Iran) in its "axis of evil", invades a neighbour of that country (Iraq) and then starts giving heavy publicity to student protests in Iran while its troops in Iraq gun down participants in protests there, I must say I am inclined to look askance at the Iranian demonstrators.
Moreover, the US is playing funny games with the Iranian opposition movement at present. Recall, if you will, the Mujahedin e-Khalq movement. They were put on one of the USA's famous lists of "terrorist" groups (indeed, they may be banned in Britain too, though I am not sure about that)not least because they had bases in Iraq and the US was trying to mend fences with the Iranian government at the time.
After the US invasion of Iraq, the Mujahedin e-Khalq in its turn mended fences with the USA and hey presto, they aren't "terrorists" any more, but part of a potential Iranian "liberation" movement. The word "terrorist" is often bandied about very freely but in this case the cynicism is particularly obvious.

The Crimson Repat

Ms

04.12.2003 13:50

US rhetoric about “the axis of evil” does not help the situation in Iran, but giving in to anti-American prejudice and labelling these students as sell-outs or puppets is an insult to their bravery and commitment. The students have been arrested, tortured and murdered. They have been attacked in their beds and seen their friends die in front of their eyes.

I don't agree with many of America's policies and I was against the invasion of Iraq. However, it is dangerous to let anti-Americanism blind you. Not all Americans are bad; not all those who oppose the ayatollahs are their puppets.

Katharine Howard
mail e-mail: katharinehoureld@hotmail.com