Perpetrators of bombing Iranian civilian, cultural sites must be brought to justice: Iranian academics

Iranian academics have condemned in the strongest terms the bombardment of civilian areas and cultural sites by the United States and the Israeli regime. 

In a letter addressed to Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a group of professors and faculty members from the universities of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed their strongest protest over the killing of civilians as well as the destruction and damage inflicted upon some of the country’s cultural and historical monuments and heritage. 

“We present this letter in protest against the wave of violent and unacceptable attacks on vital civilian centers, particularly schools and hospitals,” the academics wrote to Khaled El-Anany. 

In one of the attacks targeting a school in southern Iran, about 170 schoolgirls lost their lives. 

“Such actions are not only a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law but also a serious assault on the shared human and moral values upon which the international community is founded.”

The Iranian academics called on the international community to unequivocally condemn these heinous acts and ensure that children and patients, regardless of any conflict, enjoy their fundamental right to life, education, and medical treatment.

“As members of the academic community, we believe that protecting the lives of civilians, safeguarding educational centers, and preserving cultural heritage are among the most fundamental human principles and the very pillars of global civilization.”

They called upon international bodies to take necessary measures to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable and bring them to justice.

The damage inflicted upon the cultural and historical monuments and artifacts of Iran, which are considered part of the common heritage of humanity, has aroused deep concern within the scientific and cultural community, the academics noted. 

“These sites and artifacts are the culmination of centuries of history, civilization, and human creativity, and their destruction or endangerment constitutes a tragic loss to global culture.”

The US and Israel carried out coordinated attacks while negotiations were still ongoing and with the implicit or explicit endorsement of numerous countries.

Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at targets inside Israel as well as at American bases across the region.

Senior Iranian officials have asserted that any deliberate assault by the United States and the Israeli regime on Iran’s civilian and cultural heritage sites constitutes a "flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and an undisputed war crime."

United Nations experts recently denounced the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran as a flagrant violation of international law.

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