Speaking to Iran Press Service on condition of anonymity, two leaders of the Office of Consolidating Unity (OCU), the Iranian student’s largest pro-reform union, confirmed that at least seven student activists have been rounded up in the past 24 hours by agents of the Information (Intelligence) Ministry, unidentified plainclothes men or agents acting on orders from the Islamic Revolution Court.

[Mr. Farrokhi, 22, who had disappeared Saturday, contacted his family in the city of Qazvin on Monday and asked for help to get him released. He told his family that he was under enormous pressure in solitary confinement and had undergone long hours of questioning], IPS was told by some students.

"A new round of crackdown against students has started, this time with the active support of the government of Mr. Mohammad Khatami", one of the students commented on the call by the OCU to appeal to the public for help.

"The protest movement is on the verge of collapsing, if it is not helped by the people, as the official reformists do nothing more than urging us to keep quiet and do not give pretext to the conservatives", they observed

They were referring to the better-known "serial murders" of at least five popular politicians and intellectuals in the late November 1998 by senior members of the Intelligence Ministry.

They said that the students had been kidnapped on the streets and that many others were watched and followed.

Mr. Reza Delbari, a member of the Islamic Association of Amir Kabir University, accused President Khatami having adopted a "neutral stand" in the face of the conservatives, pointing out that the fact that the students are arrested without judicial warrant proves that the arrests have no legal grounds.

"We believe that hard-liners are implementing a project of cleansing universities of pro-reform students", he said. He added that the crackdown was similar to the crackdown of intellectuals in 1997 because the manner students had been arrested was meant to create terror.

The students were allegedly kidnapped on the streets one by one. Some of those who had contacted their families had said that they were under pressure, Delbari said.

Hojjatoleslam Ali Akbar Moosavi, a Member of the Majles from Tehran was quoted in several newspapers as saying that since Saturday's Student Day rallies, 10 students had been arrested. He said two other students were also detained before the demonstrations.

Student demonstrations were sparked last month after a court in the western city of Hamadan delivered a death sentence for blasphemy against the dissident academic Hashem Aqajari.

Mr. Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer for Mr. Aqajari, said Wednesday that though he had appealed without the agreement of the accused, the court in Hamadan had not yet transferred the case to Tehran and to the Appeals Court.

Meanwhile, the family of Mr. Siamak Poorzand confirmed that the 72 years-old veteran journalist had been "temporary" released from prison.

"We have the pleasure to announce the temporary release of our father Siamak Pourzand from prison on November 30th, 2002, after 372 days of captivity. We're praying that he will be granted his unconditional freedom and that he will ultimately not have to report back to prison. We would like to thank everyone responsible for his release and everyone who pursued his case so vigorously during the last year and one week. We’re grateful for your efforts and attention. We’re ecstatic", said Mrs Benafsheh, one of Mr. Poorzand’s daughters.