On Wednesday, October 16, protests by various segments of the public were accompanied by a student protest.
On Wednesday, the second protest by medical students from Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch took place in front of the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.
First-year students in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy at the Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University protested the sudden increase in tuition fees without prior notice.
The students had also held a similar protest in front of the Science and Research University the previous day.
The new students are protesting the sudden tuition hike that was announced after the final 2024 entrance exam results. Tuition fees for these programs have increased from 300 million rials (approximately $471) per semester to 900 million rials (approximately $1,413).
In Bushehr, car buyers gathered in front of the sealed “Bustan Arya Khodro” car dealership, hoping for action to recover their money.
They said, as usual, all the city officials are complicit, and these cases have gotten nowhere so far. “A knife doesn’t cut its own handle!”
Additionally, disabled individuals in several cities held protests in front of the Welfare Organization and provincial government offices, demanding the allocation of a budget for the full implementation of Article 27 of the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the 2025 budget bill.
Protests by disabled individuals took place in Tehran, Kerman, Ardabil, and in front of the Khuzestan Governor’s Office in Ahvaz.
Expansion of Anti-Regime Protests
Tehran—Supporters of Esteghlal Football Club also held a protest in front of the Persian Gulf Holding in Tehran.
Similarly, service staff at Vali-e-Asr and Mousavi Hospitals in Zanjan held protests in front of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences.
Holding placards and banners, these individuals demanded fairness in wage payments and protested the current practices in the hospitals.
One of the service workers said, “It’s not clear at all what our duties are in the hospital!”
He criticized the behavior of hospital officials towards service workers, saying, “The way the hospital treats service staff is like slavery, and they have no respect for us just because we are called service workers.”
Hospital officials, in response to the service workers’ protest, said, “Wait two months until we leave, and the next government and president will address your issues.”
Another service worker at the protest said, “The hospital is facing a shortage of service staff, so we can’t even take leave under the most urgent circumstances.”
“Ten days ago, we asked the university president to solve our problems, but nothing has happened.”
