Following the summons and arrest of three students from Qazvin International University, students at the university staged a protest and hunger strike today in response to the detention of their classmates.
According to Amir Kabir News, after a day with no information regarding the situation of Farhad Fathi, Peyman Heydar Qazvini, and Saeed Sakkakian—three students from Qazvin International University—the students, who had lost hope for the release of their classmates, began a hunger strike and a silent sit-in at 11:30 AM today. However, the pressures and threats directed at some of the students by the Ministry of Security Forces led them to start chanting in support of their classmates and all political prisoners.
Despite constant follow-ups and negotiations with the university president and officials, no progress was made. Dr. Al-Bouyeh, the president of Qazvin International University, essentially shirked his responsibility for student security and a peaceful atmosphere. Other officials also ignored calls or gave irrelevant responses in an attempt to evade accountability. Meanwhile, one university official shamelessly remarked, “The sit-in is pointless, they won’t be released for another two months, and I believe they should be executed.” The university environment continues to experience heightened security measures, with the presence of security forces attempting to create fear and intimidation, using phone threats to weaken students’ resolve and resistance.
Meanwhile, government-affiliated security forces at the university cafeteria initiated a plan to break the hunger strike by offering high prices, hoping to disrupt the strike.
The judicial authorities also claim ignorance when responding to the families of the detained students. The family of one of the detained students said, “The prosecutor’s office claims ignorance, and the Information News Headquarters has advised that we think about bail.”
The sit-in continues, despite the freezing cold weather, at the university mosque.
