We, a coalition comprising families of executed political prisoners in Iran, Oberlin College students and alumni, concerned citizens of Ohio, and Iranian Americans, initiated a campaign against Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, former Iran’s Islamic Regime’s Ambassador to the United Nations and the so-called peace professor at Oberlin College, since October 2020.
Our demands from Oberlin College are:
- Review the process by which Mr. Mahallati was hired at Oberlin and granted tenure. It is critical to ascertain the extent of due diligence conducted on Mr. Mahallati before his hiring, including whether human rights organizations were consulted regarding Iran’s former ambassador to the UN and the role he may have played in the country’s human rights crisis. Additionally, we seek clarification on whether widely available information was disregarded.
- Remove Mr. Mahallati from his position.
- Provide an apology from Oberlin College to the victims of the 1988 massacre and their families for hiring and promoting a person who, as evidenced above, was involved in concealing the crimes against humanity perpetrated against them.
After investing 3.5 years of relentless advocacy, we received the news that Mohammad Jafar Mahallati’s name has been officially deleted from Oberlin College’s website, signifying a decisive victory for our campaign. Moreover, his placement on permanent leave solidifies our success in holding Mahallati accountable for his transgressions. This significant outcome underscores the effectiveness of our persistent efforts and reaffirms our commitment to justice and accountability.
Throughout our campaign, spanning 3.5 years, we undertook a series of strategic actions to shed light on Mohammad Jafar Mahallati’s alleged wrongdoings and compel Oberlin College to take decisive action. Our efforts have yielded significant results:
Firstly, we brought the egregious matter of the 1988 Massacre to the forefront, effectively spotlighting a grave crime against humanity that the Islamic Republic of Iran sought to bury in obscurity.
When Mahallati sought a position at Columbia University as a Visiting Scholar, our campaign successfully pressured Columbia to halt this transaction, preventing Mahallati from further advancing his academic career.
We meticulously uncovered businesses in Iran linked to Mahallati and promptly brought this information to the attention of journalists. Through diligent press inquiries led by Mr. Benjamin Weinthal of The Jerusalem Post, Mahallati’s name was swiftly removed from websites utilizing logos of prestigious institutions, subsequently leading to the disappearance of the entire site itself.
Additionally, we disrupted one of Mahallati’s seminars with religious leaders, resulting in the removal of event posters and cancellation emails to registered attendees, effectively disrupting his attempts at public engagement.
Last September, two Republican lawmakers from the Committee of Education and Labor initiated an inquiry into Mahallati’s reported ties with terrorism and his alleged involvement in covering up the massacre of thousands of Iranian political prisoners, highlighting the seriousness of the allegations against him.
Through organized protests at Oberlin College and beyond, including in Berlin, London, Washington DC, Atlanta, and New York, we amplified awareness of Mahallati’s controversial past. This widespread attention, coupled with a student-led boycott of Mahallati’s classes, forced Oberlin College to take action, resulting in the cancellation of his classes and his placement on administrative duty.
On February 6th, Amnesty International released a damning report implicating Iran’s former diplomats in the cover-up of the 1988 prison massacre, utilizing evidence we had uncovered, thereby validating the significance of our findings.
In March, we engaged in advocacy efforts in Washington DC, meeting with the office staff of 15 US Senators and members of Congress to advocate for an investigation into Mahallati’s ties to Iran and foreign influence in academia.
Furthermore, when Mahallati organized workshops and invited guests as part of his administrative duties, we successfully persuaded three out of four guests to cancel their appearances, showcasing solidarity with the victims’ families and condemning Mahallati’s actions.
In April 2023, we met nine Ohio lawmakers, where we fervently advocated for accountability from Oberlin College. Our unwavering dedication to achieving justice and accountability in this matter remains steadfast.
