Today, Wednesday, many Iranian universities witnessed confrontations between protesting students and security forces on "University Student's Day." The police arrested a number of demonstrating students, while former Iranian President Muhammad Khatami expressed his support for the protests.

Today, Wednesday, Iran commemorates the 70th anniversary of the first harbingers of its revolution against the former Pahlavi regime, and the role of universities and their students in the 1953 uprising that established a new phase in the country's modern history.

And “University Student Day” will take place in Iran this year, more than two months after the start of the protest movement against the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini (22 years), in mid-September, after she was arrested by the “morality police” in Tehran on the pretext of her failure to wear modest dress

Many shops closed, while young people were seen marching and chanting protest slogans across the country, sometimes defying a heavy security presence, according to videos posted online by activists and rights groups.

Student associations in Iranian universities said that the security forces arrested 3 students during protest gatherings against the Iranian regime.

The account of the student associations stated that clashes took place between the protesters and the university security forces, who tried to prevent gatherings on the university student's day in several universities, including Ferdowsi, Tehran and Amir Kabir Universities of Technology.

The Persian-language BBC broadcast a recording showing students protesting against the presence of conservative President Ebrahim Raisi at Tehran University, before security forces repelled them.

condemnation of the protests

For his part, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi praised the welcome he received from the students, while attending the activities of the University Student's Day at the University of Tehran.

Raisi thanked what he called the insightful students who did not allow the university atmosphere to turn into a "riot".

He stressed that the Iranian government distinguishes between protest and what he described as provoking riots, indicating that his government is determined to hear the voices of the protesting students, as he put it.

The Iranian president said that the United States wants Iran to become like Syria, Afghanistan and Libya by supporting the riots (referring to the protests), but it made a mistake in its calculations.

As part of its attempt to control it, the authorities described the protests as "riots" provoked by the United States and its allies, including Britain and Israel.

And last Monday, the Iranian authorities announced that more than 300 people were killed in the unrest, including dozens of members of the security forces, and the authorities arrested thousands of protesters, including 40 foreigners, prominent actors, journalists and lawyers.

On Tuesday, an Iranian court ruled that 5 people should be executed by hanging after they were convicted of involvement in the killing of a Basij member during the protests, in a ruling denounced by human rights activists as a means to "spread fear" with the aim of quelling the protests.

The recent rulings raise to 11 the number of people sentenced to death in Iran in connection with the protests, in the framework of what Amnesty International described as "show trials".

The former Iranian president announced his support for the protests in his country (European-archive)

Khatami supports the protesters

On the other hand, former Iranian President Muhammad Khatami affirmed his support for the protests that the country has been witnessing for 3 months, describing its most prominent slogan, "Woman, Life, Freedom" as "wonderful."

Khatami said, in a statement reported by the "ISNA" news agency, that freedom and security should not be put in opposition to each other.

He added that freedom should not be trampled on in order to maintain security, and security should not be ignored in the name of freedom.

The 79-year-old former president described the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom" (the most prominent chant chanted by the protesters) as "a wonderful message that reflects movement towards a better future."

Khatami, who is affiliated with the reformist movement, said that imposing restrictions cannot ultimately guarantee the stability and security of universities and society, calling on officials to extend a helping hand to students and admit their mistakes before it is too late.

Khatami was banned from appearing on the media after widespread protests sparked by the re-election of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.