Student Day (Iran)
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Student Day (Persian: روز دانشجو) is the anniversary of the murder of three students of University of Tehran on December 7, 1953 (16 Azar 1332 in the Iranian calendar) by Iranian police in the Pahlavi era.[2]
16 Azar incident | |||
---|---|---|---|
Part of Constitutionalization attempts in Iran | |||
Date | 7 December 1953 | ||
Location | |||
Caused by | Opposition to American vice president Richard Nixon's impending visit to Iran | ||
Methods | Student strike, student riot | ||
Resulted in | Protests suppressed | ||
Parties | |||
Casualties and losses | |||
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This day is held to commemorate the three students who were killed on Azar 16th , 1332, due to protesting the official visit of Richard Nixon, the vice president of the United States at the time, and also the resumption of relations between Iran and Britain. The main reason for students' opposition to Nixon was the Mordad 28th coup and the overthrow of Mossadegh's government . Every year on the 16th of Azar, the memory of that day is kept alive with a ceremony held by various students in all universities around Iran and some other countries.
Every year student demonstrations are held at universities to demand academic rights like freedom of speech and academic independence from the government. Often the protest reflects broader democratic concerns, such as those of 2009 Green Movement in 2009 and the Mahsa Amini (Woman, Life, Freedom) protests in 2022. The government also organises gatherings and demonstrations on campuses which sometimes clash with student-organised protests.[3]
The day is commemorated by various sections of the student movement in Iran, including Leftist, Islamic, and Nationalist groups. It also was commemorated outside of Iran by the Confederation of Iranian Students for years after 1953. The Confederation played a critical role at that time when the student movement inside the country was under severe pressure. A monthly bulletin published by the Confederation was also titled "Azar 16".[4][5] The 2022 date is December 7.[6]