International response and media reports

Australia

Austria

Brazil

Canada

Chile

France

Germany

Guam

India

Ireland

Kuwait

Netherlands

New Zealand

Romania

United Kingdom

United States

Zambia

International

European Union

• Baroness Catherine Ashton – High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission – expressed her “serious concern about the recent wave of arrests of Baha’i citizens, and the shutting down of an educational centre of the Baha’i community in Iran…” (5 September 2011) http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/124507.pdf

European Parliament

• Resolution highlighted Iran's increased persecution of Baha'is, noting they "suffer heavy discrimination, including denial of access to education…" (17 November 2011) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=P7-RC-2011-0594&language=EN

United Nations

• UN General Assembly's Third Committee approved a resolution that catalogs a wide range of abuses in Iran, including the “targeted attack on the Baha'i educational institution,” and calls upon Iran to "eliminate discrimination against, and exclusion of, women and members of certain groups, including members of the Baha'i faith, regarding access to higher education, and to eliminate the criminalization of efforts to provide higher education to Baha'i youth denied access to Iranian universities." (21 November 2011) http://news.bahai.org/sites/news.bahai.org/files/documentlibrary/867_Iran_human_rights_situation.pdf

National

Australia

• MPs urge their counterparts in Iran to investigate the denial of access to higher education to Baha’is and others. (13 February 2012) http://news.bahai.org/sites/news.bahai.org/files/documentlibrary/887_Australian_debate.pdf

• The Law Society of New South Wales urged the Iranian Government to “ensure that the human rights of all people, including the Baha'i, are respected, protected and fulfilled, in accordance with Iran's international human rights obligations.” The Law Society’s Young Lawyers Human Rights Committee also wrote ” We ask Iran to uphold these universal human rights so that higher education is accessible by all people in Iran, irrespective of thought, conscience or religion.“ (20 October 2011)

• Universities Australia, representing all 39 of Australia’s universities, raised the issue of the attack on the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education with the Secretary-General of UNESCO. (14 July 2011) http://www.bahai.org.au/NewsMedia/NewsStories/ArticleView/tabid/72/ArticleId/159/Universities-Australia-speaks-out-after-arrest-of-Baha-i-educators.aspx

• Article in Christian Today, “Iran: raids on homes linked to Baha’i higher education initiative” (2 June 2011) http://au.christiantoday.com/article/iran-raids-on-homes-linked-to-bahai-higher-education-initiative/11202.htm

Austria

• In a statement, Austria’s Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said, “The news of an intensification of the Iranian government’s repression of the Baha’i community is alarming. The right to education is a fundamental human right for everyone, independent of his or her religion. The restriction of access to education for young Baha’is is unacceptable.” (1 June 2011) http://www.bmeia.gv.at/aussenministerium/aktuelles/presseaussendungen/2011/spindelegger-rechte-der-bahai-gemeinschaft-im-iran-schuetzen.html

• Der Standard published a major article, “When the Right to Education leads to Danger” (20 June 2011) http://derstandard.at/1308186524467/Wenn-das-Recht-auf-Bildung-zur-Gefahr-wird

Brazil

• Congressman Luiz Couto, former president of Brazil’s Human Rights and Minorities Commission, said at the Brazilian National Congress, “The action of the authorities to individuals associated with the BIHE demonstrate the clear intention of Iranian government to carry out their policy of the elimination of the Bahá’í Community.” (2 June 2011)

• Two parliamentarians issued statements in support of the imprisoned seven educators. Federal Representative Luiz Couto, former president of the Human Rights Comission of the Federal Chamber of Deputies, said: "Why can't these people have the right to profess their faith?" In his statement, Federal Deputy Roberto de Lucena, said "Maybe it is time that the Brazilian government re-evaluate our relations with Iran in a human rights perspective.” (20 October 2011) http://bahaisnoira-congresso.blogspot.com/2011/10/deputado-federal-luiz-couto-20-de.html http://bahaisnoira-congresso.blogspot.com/2011/10/deputado-federal-roberto-de-lucena-20.html

• In an open letter to Folha de São Paulo, 26 international filmmakers, producers and actors called upon the Brazilian government to speak up for the rights of imprisoned filmmakers, journalists and Bahá’í educators. (4 November 2011) http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/1001917-cineastas-pedem-que-governo-brasileiro-defenda-colegas-iranianos.shtml

Canada

• Senator Mobina Jaffer conducted an official inquiry into the situation of the Baha’is in Iran, in the form of a 20-minute speech in the Senate. Her remarks followed a shorter intervention made a week earlier in which she called the attention of the Senate to the recent attacks on the BIHE. In the inquiry, she highlighted the recent raids, saying: “These are attacks not only on the students and the faculty of the Baha’i education institute, but on the cherished idea that education is the birthright of all.” (21 June 2011)

  Article, “Richmond Hill man escapes death in Iran,” published in The Star (8 June 2011) http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1004373--richmond-hill-man-escapes-death-in-iran?bn=1

  Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird notes "with regret the reports that Iranian authorities have imprisoned an additional 11 individuals associated with the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education.” (2 September 2011) http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2011/253.aspx

  Former minister of foreign affairs and president of the University of Winnipeg, Lloyd Axworthy, and Allan Rock – who is president of the University of Ottawa and former Canadian ambassador to the UN – speak of how “deeply troubled” they are that Baha’is are denied access to higher education in Iran. (5 January 2012) http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/allan-rock/bahai-iran-politics_b_1186039.html

  Article, “Where does a Canadian degree get you in Iran? In prison”, by Irwin Cotler MP, published in The Huffington Post. (18 January 2012) http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/irwin-cotler/bahai-iran-politics_b_1213311.html?ref=canada-politics

Chile

• The Senate unanimously asked President Sebastián Piñera to “strongly condemn” Iran for its “rigorous and systematic persecution of Baha'is.” The resolution specifically mentioned the arrests of BIHE faculty and staff, objecting to the “unjust detention of those individuals.” (15 June 2011) http://senado.cl/prontus_galeria_noticias/site/artic/20110616/pags/20110616121618.html

France

• More than 1500 postcards have been dispatched in all regions of France, describing the background and situation of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education. Radio features about the campaign were broadcast on Frequence 19 radio and Radio Nasim. (5 July 2011)

Germany

• Christoph Strässer, Member of Parliament and spokesperson on human rights of the Social Democrats, addressed a letter of protest to the Iranian ambassador to Germany. (21 June 2011)

• Two prominent parliamentarians have condemned Iran’s imprisoning of seven Baha’i educators. Markus Löning – Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office – said: “Once again I urge the Iranian Government to grant religious freedom to which it has comitted itself under international law.” Rolf Mützenich MP, foreign policy spokesperson of the Social Democratic parliamentary group (SPD) in the German Bundestag said: “The long-term prison sentence of seven Bahá'ís shows once again that Iran heavily violates the rights of minorities and dissenters. The judgment made by the revolutionary court is inacceptable, and the religious intolerance it reflects is intolerable.” (21 October 2011) http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/DE/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2011/111021-MRHH_Iran.html?nn=344866 http://www.spdfraktion.de/cnt/rs/rs_dok/0,,58644,00.html

• In an open letter concerning Iran’s seven imprisoned Baha’i educators, 45 professors called on Iran’s Minister for Science, Research and Technology to release immediately “these unjustly imprisoned individuals.” (2 November 2011) http://www.bahai.de/artikel/article/professoren-aus-deutschland-richten-protestschreiben-an-iranische-regierung.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=14&cHash=b89891f64c

Guam

• Senate calls upon the United States of America to keep up its pressure on Iran over human rights abuses. (27 April 2012) http://news.bahai.org/story/907

India

• More than 80 prominent citizens – representing the judiciary, academics, religious leadership, NGOs, human rights groups and the corporate sector – signed a petition to the Iranian Government calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the BIHE prisoners. "The recent atrocities heaped upon this persecuted community...deserves the strongest condemnation from every upholder of human dignity and honour in India and the world," says the petition. "The consequences of this policy of disallowing the Baha'i youth to have access to higher education will be detrimental not only for the Baha'i community of Iran, but also for the nation as a whole." (15 June 2011) http://www.bahai.in/news/national-news-of-the-bahais-of-india/petition-to-the-iranian-government-for-immediate-release-of-the-staff-and-faculty-of-the-bahai-institute-of-higher-education.html

Ireland

• The Chairman of Ireland's Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with members of the Committee – which includes Members of Parliament and Senators – met with Iran’s Ambassador to Ireland and raised the matter with him, requesting that the Ambassador convey their concerns to his authorities in Tehran. The Ambassador undertook to do so. (12 July 2011)

• More than 50 academics called upon the Iranian authorities to cease their attacks on the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education and to allow all students in Iran access to higher education. (4 November 2011) http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2011/1104/1224307039487.html

Kuwait

• The Al Seyassah newspaper published an article reporting the attack against BIHE. (24 May 2011)

Netherlands

• Thousands of postcards have been dispatched in all regions of Netherlands, describing the background and situation of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education.

New Zealand

• Condemning the raids and arrests, New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully, described the denial of higher education to the Baha’is in Iran as “reprehensible.” (1 July 2011)

• The Baha’i Club at Victoria University in Wellington held an awareness-raising event which engaged a good number of students, including a number of sympathetic and supportive Moslems. (June 2011)

Romania

• Sixty-eight celebrated figures signed a petition, appealing to the Iranian authorities to cease its systematic campaign of persecution of the Baha'is, including "repeated attempts to hinder the progress of the Baha'i community's efforts to educate its young people..." (25 January 2012) http://news.bahai.org/story/883

Slovakia

• 84 leading academics, including a former Prime Minister, call upon the Iranian government to end its persecution of Baha'i educators and students. (18 September 2012) http://news.bahai.org/story/925

United Kingdom

• Professors from Oxford, Cambridge and other leading universities in England wrote an open letter calling for academics, students and politicians to support the right of Baha’is to access higher education in Iran. “The authorities must be taught that human rights are universal,” they wrote to The Guardian newspaper. “Barring Bahá'ís from university exposes the government's own ignorance.” (11 June 2011) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/11/iran-bahai-right-higher-education

• The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Union of Jewish Students condemned the arrest and detention of Baha’i educators in Iran. “The mistreatment of religious minorities does not demonstrate a strong society,” they said in a statement. “Only through fostering a culture of mutual respect can Iran progress to a legal and political situation worthy of all its citizens. The Board and the UJS believe that all people, and all Iranians, should be given equal access to higher education on the basis of merit, and not de-barred because of their religious beliefs. We call for the immediate release of the eleven imprisoned Bahá’í educationalists, as well as the others who have been detained or sentenced on the basis of their faith.” (17 August 2011) http://www.bod.org.uk/live/content.php?Item_ID=190

United States

• The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemned the coordinated raids by Iranian authorities on numerous Baha’i homes and the arrests of more than a dozen Baha’is who were part of an effort to provide higher education to Baha'i youth because they are prevented from attending universities in Iran. (24 May 2011) http://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/press-releases/3631-5242011-uscirf-condemns-iranian-government-attack-on-bahai-education-initiative.html

• Senator Mark Kirk issued a statement which said, "The international community should strongly condemn Iran's mass arrest of 14 Baha'i citizens and call for their immediate release." (24 May 2011) http://kirk.senate.gov/?p=blog&id=206

• Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf, co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, made a statement to the House of Representatives. "These attacks – and Iran’s general policy of suppressing religious freedom – are unacceptable and must stop...We must not allow such atrocities to continue unnoticed." said Congressman Wolf. (2 June 2011) http://iran.bahai.us/2011/06/02/rep-wolfs-remarks-on-education-program-arrests-a-brutal-crackdown-against-iran%E2%80%99s-baha%E2%80%99is/

• Article in The Washington Post, “From celebration to vigil after arrests of Baha’i in Iran” (6 June) http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/graduation-in-va-turns-from-celebration-to-vigil-after-arrests-of-bahai-in-iran/2011/06/05/AG6VPmJH_story.html

• US Senators Mark Kirk and Joseph Lieberman join with international group of lawmakers to release a joint statement condemening the denial of education to thousands of Baha'i students and calling for the immediate release of seven imprisoned Baha'i educators. (6 December 2011) http://kirk.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=380

• Forty-eight leaders of medical education joined the worldwide protest against the Iranian government's persecution of Baha'i students and educators. (7 December 2011) http://www.edu-right.net/statement/38-statement/746-medicalschooldeansbiheletter

Zambia

• Students at the University of Zambia launched a two-week long postcard campaign “in support of BIHE and the right to education.” The postcard depicted Zambian students on one side, and on the other a message for Iran’s minister of science, research and technology stating “All Iranian citizens have the right to education,” “The Baha’i Institute for Higher Education ‘prisoners’ should be released immediately,” and “Baha’is should be able to enter universities as faculty and staff and as students who can get a degree.”

International Organizations

Committee of Human Rights Reporters

• “Defending the Right to Education” http://www.chrr.biz/spip.php?article14740

Committee on International Freedom of Scientists

• The Committee – which monitors the human rights of scientists around the world, and assists those in need – appealed to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to "immediately and unconditionally release" all imprisoned individuals affiliated with the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education and to "allow the Baha'i Institute to freely operate, and to ensure that all Iranian students have access to higher education." (29 February 2012) http://news.bahai.org/story/899

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

• The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran called on the Iranian authorities to stop attacks on the BIHE and end policies that discriminatorily deprive members of the Baha’i Faith access to higher education. (23 May 2011) http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2011/05/bahai-university-attacked/

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East

• The members of the Board of Directors of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) – a worldwide organization of academics – denounced the raids on homes and the imprisonment of faculty and administrators of the BIHE, and demanded the immediate release of the faculty and staff members still imprisoned. SPME also encouraged faculty from around the world to endorse the demand for the immediate release of prisoners. (8 July 2011) http://www.spme.net/cgi-bin/articles.cgi?ID=8220

International Media

The Australian

• Call for Iran to release Baha’i Academics http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/call-for-iran-to-release-bahai-academics/story-e6frgcjx-1226170010998

The Chronicle of Higher Education

• The Epic, Secret Struggle to Educate Iran's Bahais http://chronicle.com/article/The-Epic-Secret-Struggle-to/131819/

CNN International

• “For Baha’i educators, a lesson in power in Iran” http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/05/31/iran.bahai/

Daily Telegraph

• Religious academics denounce persecution against Iran's Baha'i minority http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/8816662/Religious-academics-denounce-persecution-against-Irans-Bahai-minority.html

Frontline

• Iran’s Neo-Apartheid http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2012/09/opinion-irans-neo-apartheid-rampant-persecution-of-bahais-in-cradle-of-faith.html#ixzz26byHZoEd

Huffington Post

• Simply for Trying to Teach: Imprisoning Bahá'í Teachers and Leaders in Iran http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-shourd/simply-for-trying-to-teac_b_1536517.html

Radio Farda

• “End to Academic Freedom in Iran” http://www.radiofarda.com/content/f4_bahaie_institue_ban_activity/24183854.html

Radio Zamaneh

• “Increasing the pressure on Baha’i University” http://radiozamaneh.com/society/humanrights/2011/05/30/4364

• “Faith and Hope” http://radiozamaneh.com/node/4374

• “Baha’i University ‘illegal’ ” http://radiozamaneh.com/news/iran/2011/06/05/4492

Rahesabz

• “Educational Discrimination and Denial of Education to Baha’is” http://www.rahesabz.net/story/31926

The Sydney Morning Herald

• When learning goes underground http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&kw=bahai%2C+baha%2C+baha%27i&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=
  6months&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=SMH110627SK1KE5724M9

Times Higher Education

• I sit in a UK library and feel so sorry for my friends in Iran http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=418523&c=1

University World News

• “Iran: university to continue despite raids, arrests” http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20110525154448447

• Iran: Baha’is call for end to university exclusion http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20110902144020632

• Academics condemn Iran Baha'i attack http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20111014194630333

Wall Street Journal

• Iran’s Outcast Religion http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904875404576528761693875134.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion