The students protested against the expulsion of some students and professors and called for the dissolution of the university's disciplinary committee which arrests and expels students on groundless charges.
The protesting students also condemned the interference of Khamenei's representative in the university's affairs. Reports say that on many occasions the regime has sent Ansar-e Hezbollah shock troops to suppress and terrorize the students. In condemning these attacks, the students said that the "rule of law" propagated by Khatami is nothing but hollow rhetoric.
The students also complained of the shortage of dormitories and other basic needs, saying that the university's best facilities and the lion's share of its budget are set aside for the regime's agents and the Guards Corps. Some 40 percent of university admission quotas across the country are set aside for members of the Guards Corps, the Bassij and other government agencies involved in suppression. The last academic year in Iran witnessed close to 1,000 students protests in different universities.
In a separate development, carpet dealers in the northwestern city of Tabriz protested against the imposition of heavy taxes and stopped doing business for one day.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran - Paris
October 2, 1997
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