IRAN: Scores of students detained, rights group says

Iran has detained scores of students in an apparent bid to prevent new opposition protests during annual Student Day events next month, a Western-based human rights group said, reports Reuters. Iranian police, seeking to avoid any repeat of the huge demonstrations that erupted after a disputed election in June, have warned opposition supporters against using the 7 December Student Day commemorations to hold more rallies.

The pro-reform opposition says the 12 June presidential poll was rigged to secure hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. The authorities reject vote fraud allegations. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, based in the West, said scores of students in Iran had been detained and prosecuted in recent days, as authorities "apparently seek to stifle protests expected" on 7 December.

The group's spokesman, Hadi Ghaemi, said in a statement published late on Tuesday: "In order to silence the student movement, a wholesale crackdown on Iranian students is underway, which not only violates their rights, but also disrupts their studies and the lives of their families." Reformist web sites in Iran have also reported on detentions of students in recent weeks, saying some have also been suspended from their studies.
Full report on the Reuters site