Baha’i Citizen Deprived of Continuing his Education in Zahedan

Source: www.hra-news.org

Translation by Iran Press Watch

HRANA News Agency – During the announcement of the results of the candidates applying to a program that needed no nationwide examination requirement at the University of Applied Sciences, Kasra Shoaei, a Baha’i citizen living in Zahedan, was confronted with the message “The results will be announced after the general eligibility status is determined”.

According to the HRANA news agency, the news arm of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, the bachelor’s degree exam results of Kasra Shoaei, a Baha’i citizen living in Zahedan, has not been announced on the website of the Comprehensive University of Applied Sciences.

This Baha’i citizen, who took the bachelor’s degree exam without a requirement for nationwide examination, was confronted with the message “The result will be announced after the general eligibility status is determined.”

Every year, there are numerous reports of such stall tactics being employed to barr Baha’is from continuing their studies at Iranian universities. This includes even those on the verge of graduation.

Baha’i citizens in Iran are deprived of liberties of practicing their religious beliefs. This systematic deprivation of liberty occurs while Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights entitle any individual to freedom of religion and belief and also freedom to express it individually or collectively and in public or in private.

According to unofficial sources, there are more than 300,000 Baha’is in Iran, but Iran’s constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism and does not recognize the Baha’i faith. For this reason, the rights of Baha’is in Iran have been systematically violated over past years.