Sorena Kyani

Exactly two weeks after university students protested Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to ‎Tehran University, chants of “death to the dictator” were heard at another one of the ‎country’s campuses: the Polytechnic University. ‎

Hundreds of students gathered yesterday morning to call for the release of Ehsan ‎Mansouri, Ahmad Ghassaban, and Majid Tavakoli, three Polytechnic University students ‎that have been under arrest since spring. The students were sentenced to lengthy prison ‎terms earlier this month. ‎

Dozens of students from Tehran, Allameh Tabatabai, and Sharif Engineering universities, ‎along with students from the Azad University climbed over barriers set up by anti-riot ‎police and joined their Polytechnic University colleagues. ‎

After several small skirmishes with security forces, students held an open microphone ‎session. ‎

Majid Sheikhpour, who was arrested along with Tavakoli, Mansouri and Ghasabban, ‎delivered a speech describing the kinds of torture inflicted on Polytechnic University ‎students while in custody. Sheikhpour identified nighttime interrogations, sleep ‎deprivation, inflicting unbearable physical pain, group beatings, and having to stand up ‎for hours as common instance of torture. ‎

Alluding to a remark made by President Ahmadinejad, who said, "I give presents to my ‎opponents," Sheikhpour said, “Your present to your opponents is prison and torture.” ‎

During Sheikhpour’s speech, students sporadically chanted “imprisoned student – must ‎be released,” and “death to the dictator.” ‎

Ali Nikoonesbati, who serves on Daftar-e Tahkim-e Vahdat’s [“Office for Fostering ‎Unity”] central committee, was another speaker at the event. He argued that prison ‎sentences are issued to students in an effort by the government to divert public’s attention ‎from concessions given to Russia. Nikoonesbati also accused Ahmadinejad of exacting ‎personal vengeance from Amir Kabir University students. ‎

At the end of the gathering, student read a statement released from prison by Majid ‎Tavakoli, Ahmad Ghassaban and Ehsan Mansouri. In their statement, the detained ‎students insist on their innocence and claim that they were “tortured” during the entire ‎time of their arrest. ‎

Students then proceeded to march toward Vali Asr Square while holding placards bearing ‎pictures of their three imprisoned colleagues. In unison, they were chanting, “death to ‎the dictator,” “political students must be freed," and “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, agent of ‎corruption and discrimination.” ‎