Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Brutality of the Islamic Regime

StudentMovement | 20.11.2004 20:58 | Analysis | Globalisation | Repression | London | World

The Unknown Victims of the 1999 Student Uprising

November 20, 2004
Iran va Jahan
Koorosh Sehati


Translated from Persian text: Potkin Azarmehr

After the student uprising in July 1999, a massive crackdown took place in Iran. Many students were imprisoned, many disappeared and many were seriously injured. However, the crackdown in Tehran and some other cities like Tabriz was so severe that the events in other Iranian cities were somewhat under shadowed. Ahwaz, a hot Southern Iranian city was one of those where the suppression of the uprising was under reported.

IRI Brutalities
IRI Brutalities


After the student uprising in July 1999, a massive crackdown took place in Iran. Many students were imprisoned, many disappeared and many were seriously injured. However, the crackdown in Tehran and some other cities like Tabriz was so severe that the events in other Iranian cities were somewhat under shadowed. Ahwaz, a hot Southern Iranian city was one of those where the suppression of the uprising was under reported.

The people of Ahwaz, hearing about the courage displayed by students in other cities, also stood up to the Islamic regime. The crackdown that followed meant hundreds of Ahwaz youth were sent to the dungeons. The 24 year old Mehdi Hoveyzeri was one of those youngsters. He took an active role in the demonstrations and wrote anti-regime slogans in public places. Perhaps at the time, he was unaware of the tragedies that lay ahead for himself and his family.

Mehdi was arrested on 17th July, 1999 while spraying anti-regime slogans on the walls, He was beaten up so badly that his leg was broken and he had to be taken to the hospital. After three days he was transferred to the Intelligence Ministry's jail. He was interrogated and tortured there while in severe pain from his broken leg. After his temporary discharge, his father was summoned to the revolutionary court of Ahwaz for his son's political activities. Mehdi's father Hooshang was taken to the Intelligence Ministry's prison from the revolutionary court and interrogated there. Although he was unaware of his son's political activities, he was put under harsh pressure. He was released in the middle of the night and returned home, but later that night suffered a stroke and died.

In his funeral, the regime's agents were present to prevent any anti-Islamic regime protest from taking place. Hooshang's son protested at their presence. The regime's agents responded by swearing profanities at him and his family and arrested him again in front of his mother and sister's tearful eyes. While in detention he was told in no uncertain terms that should he ever reveal what was done to his father, he himself would end up like his father. Mehdi was released after three days of threats and torture in the middle of one of Ahwaz's streets.

Those who have witnessed the Islamic dungeons in both Tehran and smaller cities admit that the jail conditions in smaller cities, is much harsher than in Tehran. The injustice inflicted on Iranians is a national injustice which makes no exceptions on any Iranian ethnic groups, however should one be unfortunate enough to belong to one of those smaller ethnic and religious groups, one should prepare for receiving an even crueller treatment. Mehdi Hoveyzeri and his family were one of those ethnic minorities.

The young Ahwazi who was outraged by the regime's injustices continued with his activities and was rearrested. This time by the Intelligence units of the revolutionary guards and spent 20 days in solitary confinement. There he suffered more torture and humiliation, resulting in more injuries. After he was released on bail, he decides to continue with his activities in a different way. He decides to secretly film the poor ghettos of Khuzestan province, the unknown graves of political dissidents, and public executions.

He was assisted by his uncle Hamid Hoveyzeri, who passed on the footage to websites outside Iran. On 22nd July, 2004, Mehdi left home to film a public execution in Ahwaz's Chahar-Shir square. He acted with caution, but two plain clothes agents approached him, but he managed to escape through the crowds. He sought sanctuary with one of his friends and later fled to a remote village in Ahwaz.

The regime's agents however continued to search for him in Ahwaz and search his uncle's house. There they find more evidence of what Mehdi and his uncle were doing. Hamid Hoveyzeri was arrested and died under torture in detention. His body was not returned to his family but was found days later under a public bridge in Ahwaz.

The tragedy of Mehdi's family has happened to other families throughout Iran. A brutality inflicted by one of the most reactionary regimes in the world. How much longer should we have to bear witness to these tragedies in our land?

StudentMovement
- Homepage: http://www.iranvajahan.net/cgi-bin/news.pl?l=en&y=2004&m=11&d=20&a=6

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech