‎“My latest university registration was suspended on Herasat’s [university ‎security’s] orders and the university’s Herasat has not provided me with any ‎explanation or legal justification for why I have been barred from continuing my ‎education.” ‎

These are the words of Soheil Asefi, a contributor to Rooz, who was released on a 100 ‎million toman [about 100 thousand U.S. dollars] bail after spending more than 60 days in ‎solitary confinement at the ministry of intelligence’s detention center – Evin Prison’s ‎Ward 209. He was forced to quit journalism and contributing to Rooz after being ‎released from prison. ‎

This young journalist decided to complete the few remaining semesters of his university ‎education in the hopes of a brighter future. However, he has been deprived of this right ‎too. He has this to say: “The head of the university’s Herasat, which cancelled my ‎registration, told me that my registration is conditional on obtaining a permission letter ‎form the ministry of intelligence or Revolutionary Court. I have followed up with the ‎Revolutionary Court several times since eight months ago, when I was released from ‎prison, but they are not responsive at all and have not even allowed me to state my case ‎for them.” ‎

Asefi adds, “The head of the university’s Herasat, who insisted that the order was issued ‎by higher officials and that he is just following orders, announced lately that the decision ‎was not handed down from above and that he is personally responsible for the decision.” ‎The head of the university’s Herasat who had initially agreed with the conditional ‎registration of this student, now has cancelled his registration without providing an order, ‎legal justification, or any written explanation, and no organization or institution is ‎responsive regarding Soheil Asefi’s situation. ‎

Asefi said, “In a meeting that I had with my attorneys regarding this matter they stated ‎that, based on norms and rules, a student’s suspension must pass several filters, but ‎despite the meeting of the disciplinary committee to make a decision on my status, the ‎head of the committee announced that they have nothing to review and deferred my case ‎to the university’s Herasat.” ‎

This young journalist has been barred from continuing his education even though ‎according to Articles 2 and 43 of the Islamic Republic’s Constitution, and also Articles ‎‎26 and 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 19 of the U.N. ‎Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, education is a right. According to Article 570 of ‎the Islamic Penal Code, it is a crime to deprive anyone from the right to education and ‎punishments have been set aside for it. Nevertheless, no one is responding to Soheil’s ‎demands and no court is willing to hear his case. ‎