Expulsion of Shakib Teimouri, a Baha’i Student, from Gorgan University

Source: www.hra-news.org

Translation by Iran Press Watch

HRANA News Agency – Shakib Teimouri, an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Gorgan, was expelled from university for being a Baha’i, on the morning of Sunday, May 27, 2018. The university even refused to give Mr. Teimouri a copy of his Associate Degree document. He entered the University of Sama Gorgan as a student in the Associate Degree program in September 2014, and continued his studies as an undergraduate student after 2016.

In addition to the illegal decisions of the authorities, this undergraduate student has also been denied his Associate Degree document. The university’s authorities deprived this Baha’i student from higher education by blocking Mr. Teimouri’s access to the university site and preventing him from registering. In addition, on April 12^th of this year, two students from Gorgan and Gilan universities, Arash Razavian and Kiana Sanaie, were expelled because they are Baha’is. Despite the explicit text of the law, according to the Supreme Council resolution, in addition to barring Baha’is from government employment they are also deprived of university education.

Every year, many accounts are published of Baha’i students being prevented from continuing their studies in Iran’s universities, including students on the verge of graduation. Throughout the existence of the Iranian regime, the United Nations Rapporteurs on Human Rights in Iran have repeatedly decried the persecution of Baha’is, and in particular depriving Baha’i students of their right to education, and consider it a blatant example of the Iranian government’s disregard for human rights treaties.

Baha’i citizens in Iran are deprived of freedoms related to religious beliefs. This systematic deprivation is in direct contradiction of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which state that all persons have the right to religious freedom, the right to change their religion or belief, and the freedom to express their belief individually or collectively in public or private.

Based on unofficial sources, there are over 300,000 Baha’is in Iran. However, Iran’s Constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, and does not recognize the Baha’i Faith as a religion. This has been used by the regime to justify the systematic denial of the civil rights of Baha’is over the last 39 years.