Iranian police crack down on protesters at university in Iran, witnesses say

When Farid’s friend called for help on Sunday (2), he jumped on his bike and quickly made his way to Sharif University in Tehran.

“Please come and save us. We’re stuck here. They are shooting at us,” his friend said.

Scenes of violence and “savagery” found him as he arrived at the elite university’s campus, he said, where hundreds of students were trapped in the parking lot by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, according to videos verified by Iran. CNN on social media.

“They had guns, paintball guns, sticks,” said Farid, whose name was changed for his safety.

“They were using gases… [que são] internationally banned… it was a war zone… there was blood everywhere.”

In a video posted on social media from the scene, police can be seen detaining people and loading them onto motorcycles. In another, loud bangs are heard.

It was the first day of class, but many students refused to participate in the class. Instead, they were protesting the regime, in a nationwide movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died last month in a hospital after being detained by Iran’s morality police and sent for a “re-education”. ”. center” for failing to comply with state hijab laws.

For more than two weeks, protests took place in more than 45 cities across Iran, including the capital, with dozens of people killed in clashes with security forces.

THE CNN cannot independently verify allegations of arrests or detentions as it is impossible to confirm a precise number of protesters arrested or detained by persons outside the government of Iran. The numbers vary depending on whether they come from opposition groups, international human rights organizations or local journalists. State media Broadcasting of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIB) reported that at least 41 people have died in Iran in recent protests. According to Amnesty International, the crackdown killed at least 52 people and injured hundreds more.

While the rallies began with calls for justice for Amini’s death, they grew into a larger movement, uniting a range of factions and social classes.

Farid said Sunday’s incident began after a group of students were reprimanded by campus security – who called for backup – for staging a walkout and engaging in anti-regime chants.

“It started with students refusing to go to class. And then the science (teacher) came to talk to them because they were singing things… the students were led away by the university security forces, and then they were stopped by Sepahs (IRGC forces), wearing normal people clothes” Farid said The CNN .

“They were told, ‘if you get close to the subway station, we’ll start filming, go back to the university.’ And then, after half the students went back to the university, they let the others into the parking lot. And after that, they started shooting them with paintballs and taking them into custody in a very, very savage way,” he added.

The university’s official newspaper, the Sharif Daily, also reported that security forces fired less-lethal shots at large groups of students in the campus parking lot as they tried to evade security forces on Sunday. Videos shared on a social network analyzed by CNN captured the incident.

Sharif University’s “three main dormitories” were also “shot at” by security forces, according to Farid, who said there were still students hiding at the university after Sunday night’s events.

“As we speak, there are still students hiding at the university in parking lots or in faculty lounges,” he told CNN .

“We don’t have a count yet. [de detidos]. The Student Council was trying to do a count, but we won’t know for sure for another five, six hours.

Citing a university source, Iranian state news agency IRNA said on Monday that 30 of the 37 students arrested during the protests had been released.

THE CNN could not independently verify what happened during the clashes at Sharif University or the number of students detained afterwards. Representatives from Sharif University could not be reached for comment.

In a statement on Monday (3), the Islamic Association of Students of Sharif University urged all “teachers and students of Sharif University not to attend classes until all arrested students are released”, while asking students and teachers across Iran to pause classes in solidarity.

Pieces of this ongoing solidarity have already been seen in the Iranian capital, where a video posted on social media shows a line of cars blocking streets near Sharif University on Sunday night in support of students.

The nationwide protests — which bring together a combination of grievances about a struggling economy, limited civil rights and the marginalization of ethnic minorities — are the most significant domestic threat the Iranian regime has faced in years.

Today’s protests are also bringing together younger Iranians with internet access who didn’t know Iran before the Islamic Republic.

The government – which has blamed Western media for instigating the protests – is unlikely to make concessions, analysts say, with an end to the demonstrations more likely to come through the use of brute force.

But Farid insists he and his contemporaries are not afraid, saying they have nothing to lose.

“This is far from over. We are not afraid. We are outraged. We are furious. You know, these people think that we’re the previous generation – that if they do this, we’ll stop. We’re not going to stop,” he said.

“These children are our future,” added Farid. “We will not tolerate this.”