Just a few weeks ago, the Islamic Center Hamburg was banned. Now Iranian authorities are closing the German language institute in Tehran because of alleged illegal activities. A retaliation?
Iranian authorities have closed the German Language Institute (DSIT) in the capital Tehran. Security forces sealed the building in the north of the metropolis, eyewitnesses reported.
Pictures were shared on social media showing a large police presence in front of the language school. The authorities justified the move with violations of Iranian law, as the justice portal Misan reported. “Illegal” facilities in the Federal Republic of Germany had been closed.
The web portal Nurnews, which is close to the Iranian Security Council, interpreted the move as a reaction to the closure of the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH).
The German Language Institute Teheran (DSIT) was founded in 1995 by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Iran. According to the Federal Foreign Office, it currently employs 85 teachers.
Iranian ambassador summoned
“We condemn the actions of the Iranian security authorities against the German Language Institute in Tehran,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin. The institute is a “popular and recognized meeting place” where people work to learn the language with “a lot of personal commitment under difficult conditions.”
At the same time, it was said that the Iranian ambassador in Berlin would be summoned. “We call on the new Iranian government to allow teaching to resume immediately,” the spokesman continued.
Tensions between Tehran and Berlin
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser banned the IZH in Hamburg almost a month ago as a “significant Iranian propaganda center in Europe”. As a result, police nationwide confiscated assets and facilities belonging to the center and five sub-organizations associated with it. Iran summoned the German ambassador in protest. Almost a week ago, the IZH association also filed a lawsuit against the Federal Ministry of the Interior's ban.
In recent years, there have been regular diplomatic tensions between Tehran and Berlin. Several German citizens, some of them with a second Iranian passport, are imprisoned in Iran. Critics accuse Tehran of holding foreign citizens as political hostages. Iran denies the accusations and usually justifies the arrests with allegations of espionage.
Uwe Lueb, ARD Istanbul, Tagesschau, 20.08.2024 16:00
