Preventing Another Baha'i from Studying in Iran; Organization for Educational Testing: 'Your File is Under Review'

The child of a Baha'i citizen imprisoned in Qazalhessar has been denied the opportunity to continue their education and register at university without a clear explanation from the officials of the Organization for Educational Testing and Training. According to a report by Hrana, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, on Sunday, September 10, Adib Vali, a Baha'i citizen whose father, Payam Vali, is imprisoned in Qazalhessar prison in Alborz province, faced the message 'Your file is under review' while trying to register at university after passing the national entrance exam. A source close to the family stated that in follow-ups, the officials of the Organization for Educational Testing did not provide a 'clear response' to him, and with the deadline for selecting courses having passed, Adib Vali has been deprived of continuing his education at university. According to the report, Payam Vali, the father of this young man denied education at university, is imprisoned in Qazalhessar and has recently had a 'new case' opened against him. The deprivation of education for Baha'i citizens in Iran without a clear reason has a history in recent years, and they have faced 'error messages' when visiting the Organization for Educational Testing's website. The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center reported in previous years that the Islamic Republic has deprived Baha'is of the opportunity to study and teach at universities, forcing many of them to emigrate or flee Iran. Baha'is are among the citizens whose civil rights have been continuously violated by the Islamic Republic, which has taken actions against them, including confiscation of property, deprivation of education, and even destruction of their deceased's graves. Additionally, see: Baha'i persecution in the Islamic Republic; 'At least 225 people' have been killed in the past four decades. According to the annual report on 'International Religious Freedom' for the year 2022 prepared by the U.S. Department of State's Office of International Religious Freedom, the repression, violence, discrimination, and social stigmatization by the Islamic Republic against members of the Baha'i community in Iran have intensified. In this regard, Shahin Milani, a human rights researcher, told the Persian section of Voice of America that the accusations by the Islamic Republic against Baha'is have always been baseless. Furthermore, Farhad Sabetan, spokesperson for the worldwide Baha'i community, previously told Voice of America that the repression of Baha'is in Iran has 'intensified significantly.'