Five days of protests at Amir Kabir University in Tehran

On the fifth day of their protests relating to the death of Ameneh Zanganeh, students at the Amir Kabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) went on hunger strike.

Ameneh Zanganeh, 26, was a polymer science MA student. One of the students taking part in the protests told Deutsche Welle: "Ameneh Zanganeh … died on the morning of Monday 3 October in the dormitory of the university. In fact they had not given her a room in the dormitory and she was sleeping in the dormitory's prayer room. The facilities' officials poured acid into the waste pipes of the dormitory and did not inform the students about it. Ameneh Zanganeh went into the bathroom without knowing about the situation of the dormitory's facilities. When she turned on the hot tap acid fumes caused her suffocation. After a few hours her friends found her half-dead body and took to her to the university infirmary. The university infirmary could not help her because of a lack of facilities. Then she was transferred to Firoozgar Hospital near the university but died before she reached there."

On the first day of their protest (Tuesday, 4 October), the students demanded an investigation into the death of Ameneh Zanganeh. The students accused Alireza Rahai, the university chancellor, and Behrooz Arezoo, the vice-chancellor, of causing the death of Ameneh Zanganeh and demanded their resignations.

On Wednesday 5 October, the university authorities issued a statement demanding that students do not pursue this matter any further. The publication of this statement made the students continue their protest until Saturday 8 October. Most lectures were cancelled during this period.

On Saturday 8 October, Mohammad-Jafar Zanganeh, Ameneh Zanganeh's uncle asked the students to end their protest and resume their lectures. The students did not accept this request.

In their demands the students referred to two years ago, when a lift in the university crashed and a student's leg was severed.

On Sunday 9 October, between 500 and 800 students held a candlelight vigil demanding the resignations of the university chancellor and vice-chancellor.

In a threatening statement addressed lecturers, staff and students, the university authorities blamed a small minority "who are determined to disrupt order in the university" and warned that if this situation continues the names of "those responsible for such measures will be announced and legal measures to prevent them continuing will be taken."

On Monday 10 October, "to keep the memory of Ameneh Zanganeh", the students took 800 food portions from the university’s self-service restaurant to a local nursery. They continued their hunger strike and protested with empty trays.

In a statement the protesting students’ council demanded "the legal pursuit of the incident and punishment of the guilty at whatever level". This council also demanded "the resignation of the authorities, e.g., the university chancellor; the follow up of the incident by the Minister for Science; and implementing standards at the university”

A protesting student told Deutsche Welle that they will continue with the protest until their minimum demands have been met.

The students intend to form councils to follow up the death of Ameneh Zanganeh, for representing the students of the dormitory and for supervising the dormitory by students.

Source: Deutsche Welle.

Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network
14 October 2011