STUDENTS STILL IN DETENTION.

http://www.rferl.org/reports/iran-report/2004/07/24-190704.asp

Iranian Democratic Front spokesman Hussein Zarezadeh told Radio Farda on 12 July that some of the students who were briefly detained on 18 Tir (8 July, the anniversary of student unrest in 1999) were later re-arrested (http://www.radiofarda.com/iran_article/2004/7/23c6bdb3-c799-42b6-9e5c-18776af471a0.html). Zarezadeh said Hussein Gheisari, Behnam Nasserani, Ali Rezai, and Javid Tehrani are among those still being held. Zarezadeh alleged that some of these individuals have been tortured, adding that all of them had been arrested before in connection with student politics. Shiva Nazari and Akram Eghbali are among the students who were arrested and released on 8 July.

Meanwhile, Ali Talai, an official from the Tehran Governorate-General's political-security affairs directorate, said the situation in Tehran was normal on 18 Tir (8 July), "Vaqa-yi Itifaqi-yi" reported on 10 July. Talai said that fewer than 10 people were arrested but that their releases would not be possible until their cases were examined on 10 July.

Said Razavi-Faqih, a leader in the Office for Strengthening Unity (OSU) student organization, told Radio Farda that the Interior Ministry and the university did not allow his organization to stage any events on 8 July. "Since we are committed to avoiding endangering the students by violent or unlawful actions, we could not hold any programs this year," he said. Hojatollah Sharifi, a former member of the OSU's central council, told Radio Farda: "The 9 July anniversary passes in silence and under repression because the ruling authority wants this day to be forgotten." He said that a few small events, such as a photo exhibit at Sharif University, took place and added, "The fact that perpetrators of the 8 July attack continue to hold high-level positions and have become candidates for the legislature has been a slap in the face of the students, who were thrown in jail instead of the perpetrators." (Bill Samii)