Iranian security forces target university campuses as anti-hijab protests swell
As students led the way in protests over Mahsa Amini’s death, the Iranian security forces have launched attacks on university campuses across the country with dozens of students being arrested, according to the Students’ Union of Iran.
The movement that flared over the 22-year-old’s death has entered the eighth week. The students’ union has documented more than 40 arrests of university students and is collating reports of detentions and raids on campuses across the country on its Telegram channel.
University students in Mashhad also said that they had been attacked by security forces this week, with videos online appearing to show plainclothes officers dragging students into vehicles, according to a report by The Guardian.
Mahsa Amini died in custody on September 16 after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of Iran’s strict dress rules for women based on Islamic sharia law.
Security forces have struggled to contain the protests, which started with women taking to the streets and burning their hijab headscarves and have evolved into a broader campaign to end the Islamic republic founded in 1979.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials, who have blamed Amini’s death on preexisting medical problems, say the unrest has been fomented by foreign enemies including the United States and have accused armed separatists of perpetrating violence.
(With inputs from agencies)
