Iranian Academics and the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO Warn: Destruction of Educational Infrastructure Must Not Go Unanswered!
| Several faculty members from leading Iranian universities, in a joint statement accompanying a letter from Dr. Hassan Fartousi, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, addressed to Ms. Lidia Brito, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for External Relations, expressed concern over the destruction of the country’s scientific and educational infrastructure following recent attacks by the United States and the Israeli regime, and called for immediate action by international human rights bodies. |
In the statement, faculty members from the University of Tehran, Tarbiat Modares University, Kharazmi University, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Allameh Tabataba’i University, and Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz highlighted the damage inflicted on the country’s scientific and educational institutions and stressed the need for a clear and responsible response from international organizations.
Alongside the publication of this statement, a letter from Dr. Hassan Fartousi, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, to Ms. Lidia Brito, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for External Relations, emphasized that the attack on a girls’ school in the city of Minab on the first day of the attacks dealt a severe blow to global efforts to safeguard children’s rights. It further stressed that the international human rights system must hold those responsible accountable for this inhumane act, which contravenes the principles of education and child safety.
The letter also emphasized that Iranian children, like all children around the world, are entitled to the rights to safety and education. It called on international organizations, including UNESCO, UNICEF, and other human rights bodies, to thoroughly investigate the incident and use their legal mechanisms to ensure that the states concerned accept responsibility and prevent similar acts from occurring again.
The statement concludes by warning that silence in the face of such crimes could push the world towards a situation in which law, ethics, and humanity give way to the logic of power and force; a situation that would ultimately pose a serious threat to the foundations of human civilization and education.
