Two Iranian students who lived and studied in Norway for about 6 months have brought an action against the country’s immigration authorities after receiving a letter with the request to immediately leave the country, Deutsche Welle reported.
Hamideh Kaffash and Shanin Akbarnejad, who made their PhD research at the respected Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, were suspected of contributing to the development of weapons of mass destruction.
"I got a letter from the immigration office that I have to leave Norway because they think we will gain some knowledge which might lead to making of mass destructive weapons,” Hamideh Kaffash told DW, adding that such allegations were totally groundless as her research was about reducing CO2 emissions and had nothing to do with the arms industry.
The university staff lends support for both students. Jostein Mardalen, NTNU fellow in charge of both students’ PhD programs, said that the young people had an excellent record and were accepted to many universities worldwide.
"They chose to come to NTNU because they think that that was the best place in the world that they could carry out a PhD degree," he told DW.
The two students claim that the decision of the country’s authorities is unjustified and based on prejudices and misunderstandings. The young people believe that the official court hearing will attract attention to the problem and help Iranian students in the future.
The court’s decision will be announced later this summer.
