15 Reported Acquitted of Raid on Hostels

Iran’s Revolutionary Court acquitted 15 hard-liners suspected of brutally raiding student hostels in July 1999, newspapers said.

The daily Tosea quoted court chief Ali Mobasheri as saying no one had sued the men, who were alleged to have been the vigilantes who attacked the hostels. “The suspects were released . . . after being found innocent because there were no private plaintiffs,” he said.

Reformists have complained that authorities have not done enough to round up those who beat students with clubs, chains and knives.

Hambastegi newspaper quoted the students’ lawyer, Mohsen Rohami, as saying the court did not invite him to attend the trial and present the students’ case.