Releasing one detained student Vers reluctance to free the Amirkabir students

Ali Azizi a student activist and ex member of the central committee of Amirkabir University student union was released on 6 January of the New Year, after spending 63 days in prison.

Ali Azizi had been detained illegally after the security forces had ambushed his house. It has been reported that he was harshly beaten while being transferred to prison and later tortured.

Mr.Azizi has spent at least a month in solitary confinement after which he was transferred to another cell with 3 other inmates and was refused to have a barrister.

In conjunction to this event, despite the fact that the Judge of the public courts has ordered the release of the 3 detained Amirkabir University students, but the prison authorities have denied their release.

According to Mohamad ali Dadkhah, attorney to the imprisoned students- Ahmad Ghasaban, Majid Tavakoli and Ehsan Mansouri- prison authorities refuse to accept and carry out the official order of release.

Mr.Dadkhah has declared that he intends to meet the public court judge and later file a complaint against individuals who refuse to implement the order, as it is the most to be done.

The three students – who have been the topic of most student demonstrations recently- have been imprisoned since May 2007. They have been kept in the notorious Evin prison 209 section under the jurisdiction of the Intelligence Ministry, and have been heavily tortured to accept their charges. They were first charged with publishing matters which insult Islamic sacred values (referring to the Iranian leadership)

The three had rejected the charges and announced that the logos of the published new letters had been forged. The public court had annulled the following charges referred to these students: Insulting sacred values, Insulting the vicinity and integrity of the Moslem families, Insulting Imams of the Moslems, Insulting the citizens of Quom, Insulting women with Islamic hijab and youth obedient with Islamic principles, Insulting authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, nsulting the President, and University authoritiesRegardless of this annulment, prison authorities have refrained from releasing the students so far.