Sogol Kazemi Deprived of Education in Fifth Semester

Source: www.hra-news.org

Translation by Iran Press Watch 

Hrana News- Sogol Kazemi Bahnamiri, a Baha’i citizen, who was studying civil engineering at the non-profit University of Mashhad, was barred from continuing her education during her end-of-term exams. Her investigation into the reason for this decision from the responsible officers at the Exam Assessment Office of the Ministry of Science resulted in no outcome. Previously the management of the university had informed her that she should contact the Exam Assessment Office, which had originally denied her access to the university website.

According to Hrana News, the official news of the activists of Human Rights Organization in Iran, Sogol, who was born in 1997, after successfully passing the University entrance exams in 2015, enrolled and commenced her education at the non-profit University of Mashhad with student number 9721230972.

On the 23^rd of January of 2017, without prior notification, while Miss Kazemi was busy with her final exams, she was denied access to the university website. Her attempt to learn the reason for this situation was fruitless.

This Baha’i student initially contacted the University’s management to enquire about her case; although the officer in charge expressed his unawareness of the situation: “The Exam Assessment Office contacted our office and requested that we deny Miss Kazemi access to the university domain. The office did not offer any other information, and asked her to contact the Exam Assessment Office herself.”

On the 28^th of January, Miss Kazemi contacted the Exam Assessment Office. The head of student admission section expressed unawareness that her access had been denied, but he mentioned: “If we had intended to expel you from the university we would have not offered you admission in the first place.”

This Baha’i citizen, on the tenth of the same month, contacted the Ministry of Science, but there was no one in the office to offer any satisfactory answer to this question.

With respect to this uncertainty, a close source to the Kazemi family said: “The tone of the conversation with these officials indicates that all are aware of the problem. The atrocities against Baha’is are not ending, but they are changing their form and manner. Sogol, like all her friends in this blessed land, has been deprived of her most basic right, which is to education. We hope that citizens rights, stipulated in the Constitution along with equal opportunity for all countrymen, may be protected. They are the birthright of all Iranians equally, including our pursuit of our right to education.”