Mohammad Seifzadeh and Heshmatollah Tabarzadi’s Letter about a Group of Our Fellow Iranians Being Denied an Education

Source: hra-news.org/fa/letters/hs

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

HARANA News – Mohammad Seifzadeh and Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, two of the ideological prisoners held at Rajai Shahr (sometimes called Gohardosht) Prison in Karaj, have reacted to the continued violation of the rights of a group of our fellow Iranians, and their deprivation of higher education under the guise of being “marked students” and also “Baha’i Students”, by sending out a short letter.  A translation of the verbatim text of this letter is given below:

Blocking the right to an education is inhumane

The new school year has begun, but unfortunately, just as in previous years, a group of talented youth of this land who succeeded in various educational attainments through hard work and hope for a better future, have once again been barred from education by the government.  These young students, whose acceptance to university has been blocked with charges of political activism or of being Baha’is, under the fake rubric of having an “incomplete application”, are amongst these talented youth; nevertheless, fortunately the examination ranking of some of them has already been announced.

Undoubtedly being deprived of an education is contrary to Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and of Article 30 of the Iranian Constitutional, and is contrary to human rights. It is harshly condemned; perpetrators of this act are liable to prosecution for criminal acts.  On the other hand, it is amazing that exactly a year ago, the head of the new government [President Hassan Rouhani], made campaign promises about returning the suspended professors and marked students (to universities), but now is doing exactly the contrary, despite the fact that according to Article 113 of the constitution, he is  obligated to implement the Constitution properly. Members of this government should be held accountable, and no apologies or excuses to escape from responsibility can be accepted.  Certainly the rest of the students and academics are expected to defend the rights of these dear ones.

Rajaie Shahr Prison, Karaj

Mohammad Seifzadeh (1) and Heshmatollah Tabarzadi (2)

Published by HARANA

_____

1. A biography of Mohammad Seifzadeh can be found here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Seifzadeh
2. A biography of Heshmatollah Tabarzadi can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heshmat_Tabarzadi