Iran arrests seven alleged Jundallah members

Iranian authorities arrested seven alleged members of the Sunni militant group Jundallah and will put them on trial, a judiciary official said on Wednesday, as a human rights group said that scores of Iranian students have been detained to avoid new protests during the annual Student Day.

"The charges against these seven people are that they are mohareb (fighters against God) and belong to the terrorist group of Abdulmalek Rigi," Ibrahim Hamidi, head of the Sistan-Baluchestan province judiciary, told Fars news agency.

Rigi heads the Jundallah (Soldiers of God) group which is engaged in an insurgency against Tehran's Shiite rule in southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"The files of these defendants... with their indictments have been sent to the court. Their trial will soon be held and the court of first instance will issue its verdict," Hamidi said.

Iran has regularly accused Jundallah of launching attacks in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

It also accuses the intelligence services of Pakistan, the United States and Britain of providing aid to the group so it can launch attacks inside Iran.

Jundallah claimed an Oct. 18 suicide bombing in the province which killed more than 40 people, including 15 members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.

Iran said those responsible for the bombing were based in Pakistan and also demanded that Islamabad hand Rigi over.

The charges against these seven people are that they are mohareb and belong to the terrorist group of Abdulmalek Rigi

Ibrahim Hamidi, head of the Sistan-Baluchestan province judiciary

Detention of students

A Western-based human rights group meanwhile said that Iran has detained scores of students in an apparent bid to prevent new opposition protests during annual Student Day events scheduled next month.

Iranian police, seeking to avoid any repeat of the huge demonstrations that erupted after a disputed election in June, have warned opposition supporters against using the Dec. 7 Student Day commemorations to hold more rallies.

The pro-reform opposition says the June 12 presidential poll was rigged to secure President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. The authorities reject vote fraud allegations.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said scores of students in Iran had been detained and prosecuted in recent days, as authorities "apparently seek to stifle protests expected" on Dec. 7.

The group's spokesman, Hadi Ghaemi, said in a statement published late on Tuesday: "In order to silence the student movement, a wholesale crackdown on Iranian students is underway, which not only violates their rights, but also disrupts their studies and the lives of their families."

Reformist web sites in Iran have also reported on detentions of students in recent weeks, saying some have also been suspended from their studies.

Iran regularly dismisses accusations of human rights violations and accuses its Western foes of double standards and of violating people's rights in their own countries.

Thousands have been arrested since the election for fomenting protests, which the authorities have portrayed as part of a foreign-backed bid to undermine the Islamic Republic's clerical establishment.

Most of have been freed, but Iran's judiciary last week said 81 people have so far been sentenced to jail terms of up to 15 years in connection with post-election unrest. Five people have been sentenced to death.