Eight Student Editors and Activists Arrested in Iran

Reuters reports that Human Rights Watch is demanding immediate release of eight student editors and activists arrested in Iran. They say that the students were arrested because, allegedly, they made defamatory comments against Islam in their university student paper.

Meanwhile the spokesman for Iranian Judiciary Alireza Jamshidi has reportedly said that those who were arrested were not students.

The eight students from Amir Kabir University are said to be in a solitary confinement in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Human Rights Watch says that they are at high risk of being tortured and abused. They were arrested by the agents of the Information Ministry between May 3 and June 6.

The students have all denied the charges and claim that they have been framed. They are denied access to a lawyer or family members.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human rights Watch is quoted in the Reuters report as, "Even the Judiciary has admitted that these students had nothing to do with the forged publications. The government unleashed this crackdown just as the university prepared for student elections."

Among those detained are: Ahmad Ghassban who is the editor of the student paper and Meqdad Khalilpour, Amir Kabir University's student association member.

Amir Kabir University

Founded in 1958, it is said to be the best university in Iran for science and engineering Student population, according to Wikipedia, is 8,000, and 480 faculty members.

According to an article at TelosPress, by Russell Berman, Amir Kabir has quite strong student activist community. He says, when Iranian President Ahmadinejad visited the university, he was greeted with slogans like, "Fascist president, the polytechnic is not for you." Amir Kabir was previously called Tehran Polytechnic