Iran acts to stop anniversary student protest
Dan De Luce in Tehran
Tuesday July 8, 2003
The Guardian
The Iranian government is taking action to pre-empt possible unrest tonight on the eve of the anniversary of a crackdown on student protests by banning rallies and jamming satellite broadcasts from exiles in the US.
The interior ministry said it had refused all requests for rallies this week, when university students had hoped to commemorate the violent suppression of protests on July 9 1999.
Caught off guard by a wave of chaotic demonstrations three weeks ago, the authorities are taking no chances and trying to discourage young people from taking to the streets to denounce the theocracy.
The state prosecutor, who blamed the previous round of protests on "hooligans" and meddling foreign powers, said 4,000 people had been detained in recent weeks. Most student leaders have been detained without trial or formal indictment, reformist MPs say.
The authorities have closed some university halls of residence, postponed exams until the autumn, and renewed their efforts to seize satellite dishes and jam broadcasts by exiles in Los Angeles.
The satellite channels, which advocate the restoration of the monarchy, have been calling for more protests. People in Tehran say they have had difficulty receiving the broadcasts in recent days, apparently because of jamming.
In last month's demonstrations protesters fought back for the first time against the vigilantes who have put down previous protests by charging at crowds on motorbikes, wielding clubs and chains.
Teenagers and students threw stones at the paramilitary groups and even abducted three members.
Reformist MPs say that banning the rallies will only bring more unrest in future. "The system will face more social and political crises, because the democratic interpretation of Islam is gaining support among people," said Reza Yusefian, an MP and former student leader.
With plentiful oil income and no organised opposition, the clerical leadership is not immediately threatened by the protests. But reformers say the recent unrest exposed a public frustration which will fester unless the authorities accommodate the vast youth population.
Analysts say the clerics have been careful not to inflame public anger, playing down the protests and avoiding criticism of university students.
Some students say that with prominent activists behind bars the authorities may manage to prevent major street demonstrations on tomorrow's anniversary.
"Students are afraid of being detained by the intelligence ministry," said one, who asked not to be named. "That's why they prefer not to say anything and to keep silent, not to be recognised or singled out."
As the conservatives try to defuse tension among students and unemployed young people, Iran faces fresh international pressure this week because of its nuclear programme.
Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is due to arrive tomorrow to urge Tehran to agree to snap inspections of its nuclear facilities. The US and the EU suspect that Iran may be pursuing a clandestine weapons programme, an accusation Iran vehemently denies.
Although Tehran has so far refused to agree to more sweeping inspections, some experts and conservative MPs suggested for the first time yesterday that the country had nothing to fear from meeting the agency's demand by signing the "additional protocol" to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
·An editor of a financial daily has been detained for publishing a photo showing a smiling leader of Iran's armed opposition group, his wife said yesterday. Iraj Jamshidi, editor of the Asia daily, was detained on charges of propagating against the ruling establishment, said Saqi Bagherinia.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,993700,00.htmlHow is NITV doing? And the radio stations? Where they all able to broadcast today?