PARIS 9 JULY (IPS) In a surprising twist, the left and right factions of the Iranian ruling clerical establishment joined hands to condemn the handling of the Iranian students uprising of 9 July 1999, resulting in the dead of at least one student and the jailing of a thousands of them.

Iranian political analyst attributed the apparent change of the situation to a marked rapprochement between the lamed leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenehe'i with the embattled President, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami, as the more radical forces among the ruling conservatives have joined Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, emerging as the hard-liners flag bearer.

Considering the importance of the events, Iran Press Service has selected three items dealing with the July 9 uprising, the most serious challenge the Islamic Republic had to face since it was proclaimed 22 years ago.

First the article published Thursday by the conservatives-controlled, English language "Tehran Times".

By Khosro Darvak
TEHRAN - This Monday marks the second anniversary of the vicious attack of paramilitary vigilantes on the Tehran University dormitory.

This occasion is an appropriate time to reflect on the long-lasting negative impacts of this most horrid national tragedy.

For this purpose, three distinctive aspects of this ugly event must be discussed separately:

There is no doubt that on July 9, 1999, the unsuspecting students in the Tehran University dormitory fell victim to an ugly conspiracy, immaculately planned by the think tanks of the then-emerging new players in the political arena. The organized presence of paramilitary vigilantes at the scene in the middle of the night cannot be a mere coincidence. It can be said with certainty that the very people who had masterminded the incident called the vigilantes to the scene. In other words, the students were lured into the trap as expendable pawns by the very people they considered their allies.

Caught off guard, anger and resentment soon engulfed the student community across the nation. The students demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice. Having played the greatest part in actualising the 2nd Khordad epic, the students expected official support from the president.

Unfortunately this righteous demand was never met. President Khatami cautiously kept a safe distance from the affair. He neither agreed to meet with the embattled students, nor did he issue any statement in support of the victims during the crisis. Consequently, the Office for Consolidation of Unity (OCU) had nothing to offer the angry crowd. The very centers that had incited the incident soon began to abandon the students. Empty promises were made and ultimately, the students were left to fall, again deserted by the very people they considered their allies.

The most disgusting part of the game began when the barricades were brought down. The whole nation demanded justice. Finally when the trials opened, all hopes were shattered. None of the plainclothes militia were ever brought to court. A handful of police conscripts filled the court benches as the accused, and ultimately, the victims were found guilty and given punishment!

Today, the once lively student movement is just a memory. The event has caused the brain drain to reach unprecedented proportions. The vacuum left over after the disintegration of the OCU has been partially filled by counterrevolutionary groups. And all this for what? One faction trying to gain a bigger share of power and another faction sacrificing justice for political objectives.

Tehran, July 8, IRNA -- MP Davoud Soleimani here on Saturday in a press meeting called on the Judiciary officials to handle the plainclothesmen involved in the 1999 varsity incident as soon as possible.

He said the plainclothesmen are the main culprits in the Tehran dormitory incident.

Speaking in a meeting named "review of the influence of the Tehran University hostel on the society and universities" Soleimani said despite the fact that two years went by since the July 1999 varsity event, the Judiciary has not yet introduced the plainclothesmen behind the attack on the students dormitory.

He said the incident has left irreparable damage on the minds of the students and on the academics. Despite the fact that the students cases are of prime importance for the nation, the Judiciary takes no step to deal with the main suspects behind the incident, added Soleimani.

"Given the importance of the dorm case and its national nature, it was expected that the Judiciary will deal with the case in a more desirable manner, but unfortunately, the issues were not investigated well due to separation of the file into different parts and diversity of the courts dealing with the case,'' he commented.

He said the file is one of the most complicated stories in the revolution and the more country stresses the more its complexity gets evident.

Meanwhile, Deputy chancellor of Tehran University Ali-Asghar Khodayari told a press conference that comparing the fate of those trying to restore calm and those striving to stir up trouble and fan discord show that the incident had not followed its logical and justifiable process from the day it was dealt with.

Khodayari said those playing the main role in the dorm case had either been acquitted or had left the country or were not interrogated.

He referred to an opinion poll conducted on the students of Tehran University before start of the court dealing with the case and said those questioned had put the major part of the blame on students, certain police forces and Ansar Hizbullah who had been the main behind-the-scene players.

Moreover, he said, most of the students, questioned were not much hopeful of the outcome of the court and punishment of the main culprits.

Tehran University dormitory is to host a one-day seminar against violence on July 9, marking the second anniversary of the crackdown by anti-riot police on the dormitory.

A member of the Central Council of the Islamic Association of Tehran University Students Hamid Chubineh recently told IRNA that the seminar will be held in cooperation with the Office to Foster Unity.

Chubineh said the association plans to confer its annual students prize to President Mohammad Khatami. He said the move is aimed at publicizing culture of peace and friendship, dialogue coupled with logic and ration, appreciate invaluable services of the President in the field of culture and establish atmosphere of understanding, peace and tolerance on the domestic and international scenes.

The member of the Central Council of the Islamic Association of Tehran University said that Mostafa Tajzadeh, Hamid Jalaiepour, Saeed Hajjarian, Mohsen Armin, Hashem Aghajeri, Ata'ollah Mohajerani, Ali Rabeie, Mohsen Rohami, Davoud Soleymani, Tajik, Bashirieh, Ali Reza Alawi Tabar and Abbas Abdi have been invited to address the meeting.

He called on the judiciary to deal fairly with the dorm related case.

On July 8, 1999, anti-riot police unlawfully entered Tehran University dormitory to break up student demonstrations against closure of the now banned Persian Daily Salam.

The crackdown followed condemnation of top officials and legal action against police personnel involved in the crackdown.

July 8 marks National Day Against Violence.

Other participants at the meeting lashed out at the judiciary for not dealing with the offenders involved in the case.

Earlier today Governor General of the East Azarbaijan Yahya Mohammadzadeh lashed out at the Judiciary for failing to perform a complete handling of the campus incidents in Tabriz and Tehran. He expressed regret over the fact that the Judiciary has not taken any steps to make up for the losses inflicted upon the victims of the incidents.

He stressed that the equality is a factor contributing to the stability of every system specially when the system is an Islamic one. Finally he called for the Judiciary to deal with file cases related to the July varsity incidents based on the principles of equality and fairness.

The varsity event taking place in July 1999 was the worst street riots in Tehran since the 1979-Islamic Revolution. The then Tehran police chief Farhad Nazari was sacked, but a military court acquitted him of charges of having defied interior ministry order against entry to dorm premises. The varsity incident swept Tehran in several days of violent clashes.

Tehran, 7 July: Tehran Constituency MP Elaheh Kula'i said Saturday [7 July] that the 10 July 1999 university campus tragedy and the Intelligence Ministry related serial murders were in a way related to each other.

Speaking to the Iranian Students News Agency ISNA, Kula'i further elaborated, "the creators of both disastrous incidents believed their survival could only be insured through physical elimination of their political opponents".

Kula'i said that both groups had treated their opponents harshly and that was the way a certain circle at the Intelligence Ministry of the time believed the critics of the system should be treated, which created bitter moments in our nation's history.

The Tehran MP said that on 10 July 1999, a group of plain clad individuals, some of whom well known figures in a way, created that tragedy, but the judiciary has yet neither identified, nor put them on trial, let alone giving them their deserved sentence.

Member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament also reminded that the Tehran University dormitory's incident occurred after publication of a letter in the now banned Salam daily and in an objection to the closure of the said daily due to publication of a letter.

She went on to add: "Also if we look at the incident from that angle, it is related to the serial murders of the Iranian intellectuals and the government's stand that had stated that the roots of the murders must be traced and fully uprooted.

"Those roots were traced at the Intelligence Ministry and the letter in question, too, was by a member of that ministry, Sa'id Emami, who was later said to have committed suicide in jail".

Asked if she knew why President Khatami said a few days after the university dormitory incident that he knew that pursuing the case of the serial murders seriously called for paying a lofty price, Kula'i said: "Khatami in his way offered his explanation for the incident".

Kula'i reiterated that despite their different appearance, the two incidents were quite identical in nature.

She said that the MPs had never proposed an investigation proposal into the matter, adding that it is necessary to have a strong judiciary that would solve the people's problems.

"We have also focused our attention on the general performance of the judiciary," she said, adding: "If we feel there is a necessity to investigate into this matter the MPs will take the necessary steps".

Kula'i at the end referred to cancellation of a previously announced press conference [on the serial murders] by the head of military court Mohammad Niazi two days after the university dormitory incident, arguing: "It can logically be deducted that the two incidents must be related to each other in a way, but since we do not have exact information as to what the relation might be, we can not refer to their various aspects". ENDS STUDENTS UPRISING REACTIONS 9701