Bassij agents armed with knives, clubs and cutters attacked the demonstrators and wounded or beat up many of them. Among the wounded were Zahra Qorbani, a 20-year-old woman, and Reza Bahrami, also 20, both stabbed in the back and seriously wounded by Bassijis, while other paramilitary thugs wounded Rahim Khoshnazari, 62, in the eye and fractured his skull. The three were among the wounded being treated in Imam Hospital.
Clashes reached their peak within half an hour, with hordes of plainclothes intelligence agents arbitrarily arresting young people in the area. Hundreds of people have been wounded or arrested in today's clashes.
Infuriated students defied the brutality of the mullahs' agents by throwing stones at them, chanting "down with Khamenei" and "Khatami, Khatami, this is the final notice."
During the clashes, members of the Office to Strengthen Unity, the pro-Khatami "student" organization, which had threatened to thwart any such student protests, were collaborating with the security forces against the protesting students.
Today's protests coincided with the anniversary of the savage onslaught by the Revolutionary Guards and the clerical regime's repressive forces on Tehran University's student hostels and the subsequent uprising by students and the people of Tehran. The demonstration took place despite the fact that contingents of Revolutionary Guards, State Security Forces and Intelligence Ministry agents were stationed around Tehran University since early morning.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
July 8, 2000
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