Another member of Zanjan U. student association arrested
Published: Wednesday, August 13, 2008
23:44GMT—7:44PM/EST
ZANJAN – UNIVERSITY – ARRESTS
Washington, 12 August (IranVNC)—Surena Hashemi, a student activist and member of Zanjan University’s Islamic Students Association, was summoned to appear before a court yesterday and arrested on the charge of “disturbing public opinion.”
Hashemi was arrested in connection with the events following the sexual harassment charges, brought against Dr. Hassan Madadi, a Zanjan University official, Etemad Newspaper reports, citing court officials as its source.
Zanjan University made headlines in June when news broke that Madadi, the vice-dean for student and cultural affairs had sexually harassed a student facing expulsion due to poor academic performance. Madadi had offered to cancel the expulsion of the female student if she agreed to sleep with him.
The student reported the matter to the Islamic Students Association, and several members of the association accompanied her to her appointment with the vice dean, filming the incident and distributing the film.
Following the distribution of the film, students at Zanjan University staged sit-in protests demanding that the vice dean be punished and expelled.
Iran’s Judiciary detained Madadi and the student, but later announced that the two had agreed to a temporary marriage contract (Siqeh).
Several student activists who had participated in the sit-ins were arrested last week. Those arrested include, Bahram Vahidi, the Secretary of the Islamic Students Association of Zanjan University, Hassan Joneydi, Arash Rajei, and Payam Shakiba, a former member of the association. Iran’s Judiciary denied that the arrests were in connection with the protests at the university, but said several students had been arrested off the university campus for “disturbing public opinion.”
Sources: Etemad Newspaper, Amir Kabir University student newsletter
© IranVNC 2008. All rights reserved.
(Original article written in Persian.)