IRAN: Authorities arrest 18 students

Iranian authorities arrested 18 student leaders in Tehran on 2 October in a crackdown on demonstrations, which flared up at two universities as classes resumed this week, writes Nazila Fathi for The New York Times.

The student leaders were arrested at a park in northern Tehran, where they had gathered for a "friendly meeting", said student Bahareh Hedayat in a telephone interview. She said they were all members of the Office for Consolidating Unity, a pro-democracy student group that has come under pressure since the first election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005.

Universities have been a hotbed for political activities, and the government had warned ahead of the opening of the universities that it would confront any protests fiercely. Earlier in the week, students staged two protests, the first since the start of classes. One demonstration, at Tehran University on Monday, caused Ahmadinejad to cancel his visit there. Another protest occurred the next day at Sharif University, and Minister of higher education, Kamran Daneshjoo, cut short his visit there.
Full report on The New York Times site