A/HRC/10/8/Add.1 page 29 being detained and have still not been permitted any access to legal counsel. News media, citing the deputy prosecutor general for security at the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, have claimed that the Bahá’í detainees had “confessed” to operating an “illegal” organization with ties to Israel and other countries. Some articles repeated that Bahá’ís were agents of Zionism. On 3 August 2008, the Bahá’í International Community categorically denied this allegation and repeated that the detainees were members of an ad hoc committee that attended to the needs of the Bahá’ís in Iran. It is feared that the seven members of the Bahá’í community are detained and convicted solely because of their beliefs or peaceful activities on behalf of the Bahá’í community. 106. On 26 July 2008, four officials entered the home of Mr. Mehrdad Sabetrasekh in Vilashahr (near Isfahan) with a search warrant from the Najafabad Court. They confiscated his personal computer as well as a number of Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í CDs and books. Mr. Sabetrasekh was arrested and taken to the Intelligence Ministry office in Najafabad. After two months of detention, he was released on bail in September with the amount of 10,000,000 tumans having been submitted as collateral. The charges against him are still not known. 107. On 29 July 2008, three officials from the Prosecutor’s Office entered and searched the home of a Bahá’í family in Ahvaz (Khuzestan province). These officials claimed that neighbours had lodged a complaint against the couple living there, Mr. and Mrs. Ghanavatian, regarding their “activities against the regime” and “teaching Bahá’ísm”. While the officials were searching their home, Mr. and Mrs. Ghanavatian were asked to respond in writing to questions about their Bahá’í activities. All Bahá’í materials found in their home were seized (books, CDs, photos and a personal computer). The couple was taken to a military unit for interrogation. On the same day, a friend was able to secure their bail by submitting his work permit as collateral. The charges against them are still not known. 108. Members of the Bahá’í community have been denied access to education. Since 2004, all Iranian students have been able to take the national entrance exam without being required to declare a religious affiliation. However in 2007, the application form for technical and vocational institutes contained a required declaration of religion limited to the four recognized faiths, thus excluding the Bahá’ís. The few Bahá’í students currently enrolled in universities continue to face expulsion as soon as their religious affiliation becomes known. One Bahá’í student was recently expelled from a university in Isfahan after three terms of study. He was accused of lying on a registration form, where he had entered two lines (==) instead of declaring a religion as required. The university officials stated that, “according to the new guidelines”, Bahá’í students are not allowed to pursue higher education. 109. There have been incidents relating to Bahá’í cemeteries. The Bahá’í cemetery in Marvdasht was vandalized. A number of graves were damaged and over 100 trees were uprooted. The incident was reported to a number of government agencies, but no official action has been taken to date. Mr. Houshmand Talebi (Iskandari), Mr. Mehran Zeyni (Najafabadi) and Mr. Farhad Ferdosian, three members of the Bahá’í community, were arrested in connection with an allegedly illegal burial in the Bahá’í cemetery and subsequently released on bail, pending trial. They were summoned to the Najafabad court on 6 July 2008 and spoke in their own defence in front of the judge. However, the complainant - the Department of Natural Resources - was not represented in court at the hearing, so the judge decided to issue the verdict