lATEST REPORTS FROM THE STREET JOURNAL #2

• Thug Groups at Large in Universities

By order of Information officials and double pressure from the Revolutionary Guard, university presidents - who are all related to Basij and government officials - are to allow thug groups to become more active in universities.

Allowing thug groups to practice in universities was initiated in smaller universities on assignment by government officials. Soon, this program will be executed in major universities. Based on this, characters known as Fadaian, and supporters of the supreme leader will attend the student protest to beat and suppress protesters. According to news received from behind the scenes sources, these violent forces consist of three groups:

1. Groups and teams of the supreme leader led by people outside universities.
2. Basij students or those whom are dependent on Basiji’s.
3. Forces that will participate in protests as undercover students.

In smaller universities the third group as supreme leader supporters will attack universities, beat students and even identify individuals in towns and injure them using cold weapons. Instances of such acts have been witnessed and will happen again at the universities of Kurdistan, Lorestan, Razi of Kermanshah, and Hamedan’s Boo Ali Sina University.

But in major universities such as universities of Tehran, Ferdosi of Mashhad, Tabriz and Ahvaz Chamran, this group by posing as students and involving university security will act quickly and put a stop to the protests and student movements.

On the other hand, Basiji students of universities will act by identifying and informing within universities. Also, these so called students are supposed to be preparing as soldiers to stand against students protests. Instances of this movement occurred during the last week at Tehran and Sanati Sharif universities. Giving free reign to violent groups is will mean that students will be surpressed harshly in the next few months, especially on Student Day on 4 November and 16 December. According to news received by a correspondent of Iran agency news, this dangerous government plan by the government is set to silence the students once and for all. The architects of this plan believe that after the violent clashes with protestors in the streets, that government opponents have been disarmed and that If they continue with this approach students will stop with their public protest. While harsh repressions did diminish public opposition, the protest became a social movement which appears in various aspects of society in different shapes and forms, that will in the end overthrow the Islamic regime.

• Illegal Pressure on Female Student Activists of Mazandaran University

Illegal pressure on student activists at Mazandaran University has increased. Recent attempts by the University's president and intelligence organizations to supress and eliminate student activism has included the summoning of 50 students to the disciplinary committee and issuing suspension verdicts, shutting down the office of the Islamic Association, grading 28 student protestors with 0, along with arrest, threats, and intimidation.

In the last incident of these attempts, university officials in an illegal act contacted three female students: Soodabeh Saeedi, Parvaneh Rahmani and Mahdieh Alijani, all members of the Central Women Council of the Islamic Association telling them that they are were no longer allowed use of university dorms and other facilities and must evacuate the premises.

According to our correspondent university officials prevented them from entering the dorm that night even though they had not yet found anywhere to live. The students stayed behind the closed doors of the dorm for hours, until they were finally allowed to stay in the prayer room for that night only.

Investigations by these students to find out which organization had issued this illegal warrant, none of the university authorities took responsibility but pointed to the participation of these students during a protest on 15 June 2009.

• Death Sentence for Defendant of Post Election Crisis

On Monday 5 October, Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani was transferred from Ward 209 of Evin prison to Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court with Judge Salevati in charge, and a verdict of execution was conveyed to him.

According to our correspondent, Mohammad Ali Zamani, who is a member of the Kingdom Association; was put on a second trial with charges of being involved in post election protests. Detailed confessions were obtained from during a televised court session.

None of the defendants put on second and third trials had access to lawyers. They were represented in court by those appointed by the Revolutionary Court.

• Prison Sentences for the Union Board of Haft Tappe Workers

According to our correspondent the Islamic Republic of Iran's court of appeal in Ahvaz has issued prison sentences for labor activists and union members of the board of Neishekar of Haft Tappe workers. Union Chairman Ali Nejti, Ferydoon Nikoofard, Ramezan Alipoor and Jalil Ahmadian syndicate members of the Haft Tappe union were suspended for six months and sentenced to six months in prison. Mohammad Heidari Mehr, another member of the board of this union was suspended for eight months and sentenced to four months in prison. Their crime was forming syndicates and organizing strikes.

It is significant point that these have been approved by Ahvaz appeal courts. Ali Nejati and Reza Rakhshan were also put on trial, separately by the Revolutionary Court of Dezfoul and are yet to be been convicted.

• Final Defense of 10 Polytechnic student members of the Islamic Association

These students of the Polytechnic University of Tehran were arrested between February 2008 and March 2009 and placed under severe physical and psychological torture. According to our correspondent, on 5 February 2008, four members of the Polytechnic Association, Hossein Tarkashvand, Majid Tavakoli, Esmail Salmanpoor and Kourosh Daneshyar were arrested at an anniversary ceremony for Mohandes Bazargan, supposed to have been held at Hosseiniye Ershad, and were transferred to Evin prison with the chimerical charge of disobeying a police command and attending an illegal gathering.

Later, on the morning of 24 February when recently discovered bodies of those killed in the Iran-Iraq war were brought to the university for burial in the grounds as part of the government's burial project - a concept that the students were categorically resistant to, Mehdi Mashayekhi, Abbas Hakimzadeh, Ahmad Ghassaban and Nariman Mostafavi were arrested and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin prison following a simultaneous raid on their houses by the security forces.

On 10 March Yasser Torkaman, a member of the Central Committee of the Polytechnic was arrested by security forces near the university campus.

On 20 April, Masoud Dehghan former member of the Polytechnic Association was arrested after his house was raided by security forces.

These 10 students were kept in harsh conditions of solitary confinement, under severe psychological and physical torture to obtain fabricated confessions.

They were finally released in July of this year on a hefty bail of 200-300 million Tomans ($20,000 and $30,000).

The students have reported to the Revolutionary Court to participate in the final defense session.

• Workers of Arak Pars Wagon on Hunger Strike

According to our correspondent, Arak Pars Wagon company workers went on hunger strike on Wednesday in protest of non-payment of wages.

Workers of Pars Wagon gathered at the entrance of the company chanting slogans against the directors while a group of Kazakh visitors were visiting the company.

This protest was also reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA.

The workers raised their voices for the ninth time in the past six months in objection to unpaid salaries that are more than 75 days late and neglect of pensions and retirement settlements.

IRNA added that with Kazakh Group's visit, the company directors and officials tried to disperse the workers from the entrance. They instead gathered in front of the canteen and went on hunger strike.

According to Mr Maddahi a member of Pars Wagon's workers council, they will remain on hunger strike until the state authorities and representatives and company managers and directors fulfill their promises. Mr Maddahi also warned that if the workers' demands remain unfulfilled they will block the main road to the city of Arak.