KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (Bernama) -- Iran has condemned attacks by the United States (US) and Israel on its higher education institutions, describing them as a “blatant violation” of international law and a threat to the global scientific community.
In a statement on Monday, Iran’s Scientific Counselor's Office for Southeast Asia and Oceania at the Embassy of Iran in Malaysia urged the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and UNESCO to fulfil their responsibility to protect science and the global academic communities.
Over the weekend, Iranian media reported several US and Israeli strikes on educational facilities, including Iran University of Science and Technology and the Isfahan University of Technology.
On Sunday, the Isfahan University of Technology was reportedly struck a second time.
“As civilian institutions, universities enjoy immunity under international law. Any aggression against these centres is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law principles and a threat to the global scientific community,” the statement read.
It added that under the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Convention, UNESCO instruments, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentional attacks on educational centres constitute a clear violation of international law and are subject to legal prosecution.
“Science knows no borders, and damage to it is damage to the shared future of humanity,” the statement added.
The statement further said Iran's scientific community will continue its path by relying on knowledge, resilience, and international cooperation.
-- BERNAMA
