December 7 is called Student Day in Iran. It is the anniversary of the murder of three students from the University of Tehran on December 7, 1953 by Iranian police under the Shah's rule. People across Iran broke out in protest on December 7, 2009 in remembrance of the murder and protests on this day in 1953, as well as the student protests in July 1999. The protests in on July 1999 were, at that time, the most widespread public protest to occur in Iran since the Islamic Revolution.
Thousands of university students in Iran turned a student rally into anti-government protests. Security forces and militiamen clashed with thousands of protesters shouting "death to the dictator" outside Tehran University. The night before the protests, rooftop cries of "Allahu akbar" or "God is greater" and "death to the dictator" were heard from many parts of Tehran in support of the opposition.
On this day, Majid Tavakoli who is known as “honor of student movement” came to Amirkabir University to deliver a student day speech. In his speech he criticized high level figures of the Islamic republic including Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader. He was arrested while he was leaving the university and badly beaten by security forces in front of shocked pedestrians. |
