Academic Freedom

Government Attacks Baha’i Online University, Detains 30 Instructors

(23 May 2011) Iranian authorities should stop attacks on the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education and end policies that discriminatorily deprive members of the Baha’i Faith access to higher education, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. Authorities should immediately release all Baha’is working with the Institute detained in a raid on 21 May 2011, the Campaign added.

According to the Baha’i International Community, Iranian authorities arrested at least 30 Baha’is in a series of coordinated raids in Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, and Shiraz, targeting a community initiative to provide higher education to Baha’i students barred from university admission.

Another New Year Spent in Exile Prison for Ailing Student

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Hamed Rouhinejad’s father, Mohammad Rouhinejad, spoke about his son’s multiple sclerosis and lack of access to prison furlough after two years. “I had an in-person visit with him on 22 March. His health is as before. His illness has not worsened nor improved. He is in stable condition because he has been receiving his shots. But he was devoid of energy and joy. I mean, basically there is no passion and excitement about the [Iranian] New Year inside the prison. They don’t allow us to give holiday gifts to our prisoners. I mean, taking any merchandise inside the prison has always been forbidden,” Mohammad Rouhinejad said.

Faculty Member Dismissed for Publishing Articles

Seyed Hossein Javdani, a history lecturer at Payame Noor University, who was banned from teaching in the university for writing critical articles, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran about how he was informed about his teaching ban. “According to the academic process in Iran, before the start of each term the faculty is contacted and informed about the courses they will be teaching. But since I was not contacted, after a while I made an inquiry to the director of our group. He said ‘the University Security Unit has asked that no courses be assigned to you to teach’ and that I have to resolve the issue myself with the Security Unit. So I went to the University Security Unit and they told me that the orders to assign no course units to me had come from security organizations due to various articles that I had written in various websites,” he told the Campaign.

Imprisoned Female Student Activists Denied Visitation Rights Again

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Mehdi Lalipour, husband of imprisoned student activist and member of the Right to Education Council, Mahdieh Golroo, said that starting this week, both Golroo and Bahareh Hedayat have been barred from having visitors in Evin Prison. After a whole month of being deprived the right to have visitors Golroo and Hedayat were allowed to visit with their families through booths last week, but were once again barred from visits through a new order from the Prosecutor.

Majid Tavakoli’s Family Unable to Visit Him Due to Distance

The family of Majid Tavakoli, an imprisoned student who was arrested on National Student Day 2009 (7 December) at Amirkabir University of Technology, has not received any news from him for several months. His family lives in the city of Shiraz and has been unable to travel to Karaj to visit him. Last week, Tavakoli issued a message for Student Day.

Barring Students from Higher Education on Political and Religious Grounds

(4 December 2010) The Iranian government should immediately end its policy of depriving university students of higher education based on their political or religious beliefs, and respect their freedom of expression and conscience, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today with the publication of a new report, “Punishing Stars: Systematic Discrimination and Exclusion in Iranian Higher Education.”

The report, based on interviews with 27 students barred from higher education, is being released on the occasion of National Student Day in Iran, 7 December.

Four Student Activists Transferred To Evin: Student Union Crackdown Intensifies

An informed source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran in an interview that four members of the Daftar Tahkim-e Vahdat student organization arrested in recent days, Ali Gholizadeh, Mohsen Barzegar, Alireza Kiani, and Mohammad Heydarzadeh, have been transferred to Evin prison. All four are students at university. The source told the Campaign that the prosecutor in Babol told Barzegar and Kiani’s families that they were arrested based on cases launched against them by judicial authorities in Tehran. Another source in Mashad quoted Ali Gholizadeh’s family saying that he was being transferred to Evin prison in Tehran.

Mashad Student Activist Ali Gholizadeh Arrested

Ali Gholizadeh, a student activist, was arrested by authorities last Friday in his father’s home. The news of his arrest was confirmed by his mother in an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Gholizadeh is a member of Daftar Tahkim-e Vahdat student organization and has been deprived from continuing his education. “Today at noon, two men came and said that they were Intelligence forces, and want to take Ali for a few questions. They said they would return him before night. It is nighttime now, and there is no news from my child,” the student activist’s mother told the Campaign.

Expulsion of Two Student Activists from Mazandaran Universities

An informed student activist told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that two Mazandaran Province political student activists were expelled from university. The students are Kaveh Daneshvar, a student at Babol Noshirvani Industrial University, and Behnam Farazmand, a student at Mazandaran University.

High School Student and Blogger in Solitary Confinement for over 30 Days

Blogger and high school student Navid Mohebbi’s remains in solitary confinement thirty-five days after his arrest pending clarification of his case, a local source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Mohebbi’s charges have not yet been determined by Mazandaran Province judicial authorities. His family and lawyer, Mina Jafari, have not been able to visit with him.