Justice for Niloufar Bayani
In 2022/23, Nottingham Students for Scholars at Risk (SAR) campaigned for the release of Iranian scholar Ms. Niloufar Bayani.
Academic freedom protects the right to pursue knowledge and ideas without interference and promotes a diverse and open learning environment. It is for these reasons that Nottingham Students for SAR have chosen to raise awareness about Niloufar Bayani and her work. We are urging Iranian authorities to release Ms. Bayani, to ensure her well-being and provide access to legal counsel, family, and any necessary medical treatment.
Download our PDF campaign poster
Niloufar Bayani
Niloufar Bayani is a conservation scientist and environmental activist whose work focused on the protection of Iran’s natural wildlife. She was active in the fight against illegal poaching of the endangered Asiatic cheetahs and was active in efforts to promote sustainability in Iran.
In January 2018, Ms. Bayani and her colleagues at the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation were arrested on charges of espionage. In January 2019, they were read part of a 300-page indictment in a closed-door trial at the Revolutionary Court and were given sentences ranging from six to ten years in jail.
Take action for Niloufar Bayani
Amnesty Event
To advocate for Niloufar and spread awareness about her case, Nottingham Students for SAR presented information on their campaign at a meeting of UoN's Amnesty International Society.
Following the presentation, there was a discussion session where students engaged in dialogue about effective strategies for running advocacy campaigns. They shared ideas on how to raise awareness, mobilise support, and amplify the voices of individuals like Ms. Bayani who face injustice and persecution.
View our presentation slides (PDF)
"As someone who seeks to pursue a career in academia and has a passion for social justice and advocacy, I have always had a profound respect for scholars who are putting themselves at risk of prosecution for the sake of academia. I joined Scholars At Risk to contribute, in whatever way I can, to the protect academic freedom and advocate for scholars at risk of prosecution"
Awareness Drive on Campus
With the aim of raising awareness of Niloufar’s story, Nottingham Students for SAR set up a booth in the Monica Partridge Building on the University Park Campus. The student advocates had an opportunity to advocate for Niloufar Bayani by sharing her story with other students and staff members.
The event garnered a lot attention and enthusiasm where students wrote messages of support for Niloufar and supported the campaign by following and sharing our social media accounts.
Download our PDF campaign leaflet
"As a student, unjustified interference with academic freedom could potentially affect me one day. Moreover, without academic freedom, my education would be greatly stunted. Therefore, I believe that this right should be placed in much higher regard, protected and defended"
More about Niloufar Bayani
The circumstances surrounding the arrest of Ms. Bayani and the conduct of her trial suggest a troubling disregard for international standards of academic freedom, due process, fair trial, and humane treatment of prisoners, as guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party.
The subsequent reports of mistreatment that she has received during her imprisonment have been widely criticised.
Niloufar's case has drawn international attention to the mistreatment of environmental activists by the Iranian government. Prominent organisations, such as the United Nations Environment Programme, have called for her release and supported the reform of environmental protection and human rights in Iran.
Despite her imprisonment, Niloufar has remained vocal about the necessity of environmental protection in Iran. On June 5, 2023, she published “Climate Literacy in the Land of Oil: Interviews with female political prisoners in Evin,” a manuscript written between April 2022 and March 2023. In the piece, Ms. Bayani surveys fellow prisoners on climate issues and explores potential reforms.
Ms. Bayani has also been teaching a course on climate change in the women’s ward of Evin prison, and the group recently issued an open letter on environmental concerns in Iran.
Read the manuscript (PDF)
On 8 April 2024, 2266 days after she was arrested and after more than six years in prison, Ms. Bayani was released and reunited with her loved ones. Nottingham Students for SAR welcome this news and are relieved that Ms. Bayani is now once again able to contribute to science, academia, and her field.