Iranian students rally as universities reopen after nationwide protests

Many students remain incarcerated after being taken by security forces during and after the bloody protests in January.

Tehran, Iran – Thousands of Iranian students demonstrated at universities in Tehran and across the country for a second day as they reopened a month after deadly nationwide protests.

Thousands were killed during the demonstrations, mostly on the nights of January 8 and 9 during a state-imposed communications blackout, as the country faces the threat of another war with the United States and Israel.

The top higher-education institutes in the capital – including the University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, Amirkabir University, and Shahid Beheshti University – saw large numbers participating in the protests on Sunday.

Clashes broke out between anti-establishment students and those in favour of the theocratic state, many of them affiliated with the paramilitary Basij organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Streets outside the universities also saw a heavy presence by heavily armed security forces, including some filmed being called “dishonourables” after violently pushing back against students at a main entrance of the University of Tehran.