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Iran Increases Security Patrols and Checkpoints Amid Renewed Student Protests
Students demanded the release of detained classmates and protested poor campus conditions as Basij members tried to disperse the rally.
On Monday, students at Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran rallied against compulsory hijab laws, tuition fees, and poor living conditions. Videos verified by Radio Farda show demonstrators chanting outside the campus mosque.
University unrest has spread beyond Tehran, with students at Lorestan University and Razi University boycotting cafeterias over food inflation and quality. Alzahra University barred 165 students from entering campus amid ongoing disciplinary proceedings.
Members of The Basij paramilitary attempted to disperse protesters, with one member threatening to "put the students in a sack," according to Amirkabir. Students chanted, "The regime's slogan is dialogue, but their guns are aimed at us."
These demonstrations follow an intensifying government crackdown on dissent amid the war with the United States. Human rights groups estimate more than 30,000 people died during January security operations, creating a growing climate of fear.
Students remain at the forefront of the struggle for social freedoms in Iran, a country of 90 million people. Demonstrators pledged to continue protesting, though no new actions were reported on September 29.