Student protests, July 1999


The five days of rioting “turned capital into a battlefield,” and was “inarguably the worst mass disturbance” the Islamic Republic had seen in its 20 years of existence. Running street battles left downtown capital “gutted,” with burned-out buses, and smashed storefronts.There were many arrests and injuries, and at least one confirmed fatal shooting, namely that of Ezzat Ebrahim-Nejad. The death of Ebrahim-Nejad was the only one acknowledged by the state-controlled television, however, major student groups and the foreign media have claimed more than 17 dead during the week of violent protests. Another student Saeed Zeinali disappeared after his arrest by security forces.