Last week a Revolutionary Court in Iran sentenced Abed Tavancheh, a student activist from Amir Kabir University in Tehran, to an eight month suspended imprisonment. We spoke with Abe Tavancheh about the sentence, what has happened to him and his family, the increasing suppression of the student movement in the country and especially the arrest and intimidation of leftist students last year.
Rooz (R): In your opinion, why were you convicted? Will you appeal the court’s ruling?
Abed Tavancheh (AT): The court and interrogators were sensitive about two issues: one was blogging and journalism, and the other was numerous interviews that were conducted at a time when for a long time we had no news about the whereabouts of six prominent leftist student activists – Behrouz Karimizadeh, Saeed Habibi, Yaser Pirhayati, Peyman Piran, Mehdi Gerayelou, and Majid Ashrafzadeh. For a prolonged period no official institution took responsibility for their arrest. The conclusion that I drew from the court was that any kind of telephonic connection with political activists outside the country is a security crime and is considered acting against national security, and any remark or comment in criticism of or opposition to the present political regime is equated with opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran and an insult to its divine beliefs. Regardless of the reasoning, the judgment in my opinion is unjust and illegal and I will certainly appeal the decision with a comprehensive defense brief and the aid of expert attorneys.
R: After your release you were permanently barred from continuing your education. Which institution is responsible for that decision?
AT: Unfortunately, after my release from Ward 325 of Evin prison, when I went to the university to register for classes, campus security prevented me from entering the university. Soon after that I received an incomprehensible letter in this regard, the signature on which seemed inconsistent with the letterhead or the institution issuing the letter, and I was permanently barred from continuing my education.
R: It was reported in the news that you are planning on filing a suit against your interrogators and those who inflicted pressure and pain on you during your arrest. Can you share these pressures with us and talk about whether you intend to pursue this matter in court?
AT: There were many instances of pressure: Solitary confinement, physical beating, insults, long interrogation sessions, coercion to extract forced confessions, pressing fictitious charges, unsanitary condition of the solitary cells, the absence of an attorney during interrogation, pressuring my family, monitoring my, my family and even friends’ phone conversations, interrogations exceeding 10 hours a day, and tens of others of issues that fall outside these categories.
R: In the past six months, dozens of leftist student activists have been arrested and many continue to remain behind bars. What in your opinion prompted the intelligence and security apparatus to go after leftist student activists all of a sudden?
AT: The regime’s red lines were broken one after another by leftist students. The leftist student movement has infiltrated even small universities in local towns. Another key reason is that leftist students are very active, more so than others, in institution building and mobilization. Leftist students have established strong connections with the labor movement, and because they are involved in social activities and volunteer work, they are aware of society’s harsh realities and thus they have become more committed to their cause. The more the authorities clamp down the more radicalized the leftist movement has become while also becoming more powerful. The mass arrests of the past six months clearly demonstrate rising power of the leftist student movement. The massive support of the labor movement, international organizations, leftist parties all over the world, students from across Iran, has confused and bewildered the security and intelligence apparatus. Amazingly, leftist activists, whether those who are in prison or those who are free, have gained a lot of experience from these clamp-downs.
