MORE UNREST IN IRAN.
Since 1 November there have been a large number of
incidents of public unrest - riots, strikes, and sit-
ins - which, when viewed separately, may appear to be
only isolated expressions of people's dissatisfaction
with their lives. Indeed, when such events occur in such
a disconnected way, the government can either meet them
with force or let them burn themselves out. But if more
of these incidents occur simultaneously, the government
may find it more difficult to cope.
In Tehran in late December a match between the
Esteqlal and Piruzi soccer teams turned into a brawl
involving the 100,000 fans in Azadi Stadium. 250 buses
were seriously damaged, IRNA reported, and Tehran Police
chief Mohsen Ansari told "Iran" newspaper that 60 people
were arrested.
In Lamerd, Fars Province, in late December, the
violence lasted several days in demonstrations that
stemmed from dissatisfaction with public services. Fars
Governor General Gholam Reza Sahraian complained,
according to IRNA, that President Mohammad Khatami's
opponents were behind the unrest. The Lamerd Friday
Prayer Leader had made the initial complaints during a
sermon, and when the governor general sought to provide
an explanation, the audience interrupted him. Police
used tear gas in an effort to subdue a crowd that set
fire to official buildings.
In Isfahan in early November, there was a
demonstration by people who, according to "Jomhuri-yi
Islami," distributed literature with monarchist logos.
Isfahan Governor General Seyyed Jafar Musavi said that
120 people were arrested in this incident, "Hayat-i No"
reported on 6 December.
Much of the unrest involves Iranian students and
academics. In Tabriz in early January, 400 students from
the Islamic Azad University gathered to protest
mismanagement, high fees, and incompetent instructors,
"Iran Daily" reported. On the other hand, a number of
the Tabriz students who were arrested in July 1999 were
released following an amnesty from Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, IRNA reported in mid-December,
although many question their being arrested in the first
place.
Students of the mathematics faculty at the Science
and Industry University of Tehran began a strike in late
December to protest against mismanagement. Around the
same time, the Office for Strengthening Unity at Sharif
University of Technology issued a statement protesting
the arrests of student leader Ali Afshari and politician
and journalist Ezzatollah Sahabi.
Six hundred students and staff at Isfahan's
Industrial University staged a 20-hour protest against
the management's inability to promote virtue and
prohibit vice, "Kayhan" and "Tehran Times" reported. A
December student demonstration in Kurdistan Province was
broken up by the Law Enforcement Forces, prompting
demands for an explanation from provincial
parliamentarians, such as Bahaedin Adab. There were
rallies at Zahedan's Islamic Azad University to protest
the mysterious death of a female student, Sakineh
Tavakolizadeh, according to "Jomhuri-yi Islami." Malus
Radnia (a.k.a. Maryam Shansi), who was arrested in
connection with the July 1999 demonstrations, was
summoned for questioning by the Tehran Revolutionary
Court in early December.
Three hundred students at the Aviation Industry
University staged a sit-in in early December to protest
poor food and accommodations, incompetent instructors,
and outdated teaching materials. The head of the
university threatened to resign, prompting a student
leader to say: "If he wants to resign let him go ahead.
We have nothing to do with his resignation. They should
solve our problem. Their resignation or remaining in
office is not our problem, out problem is the low
education quality in this college."
Iran's House of Teachers released a statement
stating that it will stage a demonstration on 15
January. Among the teachers' objections are salary
increases that do not match the inflation rate, cliquish
management, and job selection based on partisanship and
nepotism, "Dowran-i Imruz" reported on 2 January. (Bill
Samii)
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