Student protesters in Tehran, Iran ‘trapped on campus and shot at’ during clashes

Students at a university in Tehran, Iran were reportedly targeted by police with gunshots and trapped on campus, according to social media.

A number of students at the prestigious Sharif University of Technology are said to have clashed with police on Sunday, during ongoing anti-government protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

Ms Amini – also known by her Kurdish-heritage name, Jina Amini – died on September 16 after being detained by so-called ‘morality police’ for allegedly breaking the country’s strict dress code during a visit to the capital city.

Officials say Ms Amini suffered from sudden heart failure, but her family and protesters allege she was beaten by police while in custody causing her to fall into a coma and later die.

Since her death, protests have erupted in Iran and around the world.

On Sunday, social and state media reports say protesting students at Sharif University clashed with police.

On Twitter, users posted several videos showing the university surrounded by riot police and students taking cover on campus from what sounds to be tear gas and gun shots.

Another video, posted by activist Twitter account @1500tasvir, showed security forces chasing students trapped in the university’s underground parking. The account, which has over 172,000 followers, said dozens of students had been arrested.

Demonstrations were held in several cities on Sunday such as Tehran, Yazd, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Shiraz and Mashhad as protests in the country continue into their 17th consecutive day.

At least 133 people have been killed during the protests in Iran, according to Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, including more than 40 people it said died in clashes last week in Zahedan, capital of the south-eastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.

Iranian authorities have not given a death toll, but state media report at least 41 people have died, including members of security force’s who they say were attacked by “rioters and thugs backed by foreign foes”.