New York-based human rights organization Human Rights Watch has just issued a press release calling on the Iranian government immediately to end practices aimed at barring Baha’i students from attending universities. Said Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East director:

This week, as universities begin the new academic year, hundreds of Iranian students will be absent from campuses because of blatant religious discrimination.

HRW explains:

This year, when some 800 students of the Baha’i faith logged on to the website, they received an error message informing them that their files were “incomplete.” Three of these students told Human Rights Watch that authorities at the National Education Measurement and Evaluation Organization did not respond to numerous phone calls and letters requesting clarification about why their test results were inaccessible.

Two other students who inquired in person to the National Education Measurement and Evaluation Organization office in Tehran told Human Rights Watch that officials said explicitly that they had been targeted because they were Baha’is. One student said that an official told him they had “received orders from above not to score the tests of Baha’i students.” Another student said that the official he spoke to suggested that he would be able to receive his test scores only if his family renounced their faith.

You can read more about the latest developments in the Iranian authorities’ denial of access to higher education for Baha’is in Iran here.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Iran, human rights, higher education, Human Rights Watch

Because the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Asma Jahangir, was unable to attend the end of the Human Rights Council’s debate on her mandate on 17 September (the assessment of her mandate had been postponed), she submitted her final remarks to the Council in writing.

Ms Jahangir makes a number of recommendations about the continuation of her mandate for the Council’s consideration:

1. The mandate should continue to pay specific attention to the freedom of religion or belief of vulnerable groups: women, prisoners, refugees, children, minorities and migrant workers.

2. Prevention should be an important focus for the mandate. She intends to help develop guiding principles on teaching about religions and beliefs in schools.

3. It is important for the mandate holder to have a constructive dialogue with governments and NGOs. This, Ms Jahangir believes, is essential when exchanging communications and conducting country visits.

The Human Rights Council has yet to decide the future of the freedom of religion or belief mandate. Given the challenges to this particular human right, it is vital that the Council ensures that the Special Rapporteur continues to have a strong mandate that will allow her to challenge violations as well as boosting preventative measures.

Technorati Tags: UN, religious freedom, human rights, gender, minorities, refugees, women, Asma Jahangir