TEHRAN – 500 Iranian university professors have criticized the suspension of the British Parliament and the destruction of democracy in the country.

“Very few people in the modern world could believe that one of the most important claimants of democracy would destroy the house of democracy,” the university professors said in an open letter published, Fars reported on Saturday.

The letter was addressing professors and universities in the United Kingdom, and has been translated into eight different languages including English, Arabic, Urdu, French and Italian.

In the letter, they strongly criticized the suspension of Parliament in Britain, and the silencing of British MPs.

One of the longest sessions in the history of the British Parliament ended early on Tuesday morning in extraordinary scenes, with protests from placard-waving lawmakers and attempts to prevent the Speaker of the House from leaving his chair, CNN reported.

Opposition members of the House of Commons were furious at the five-week prorogation of Parliament, which critics say is an attempt by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to silence debate on Brexit and allow the country to slide towards a no-deal split from the European Union.

The government insists prorogation -- or suspension -- is constitutional and entirely normal for a new administration. But that has not satisfied members of parliament who have dealt Johnson six defeats in six days, blocking a no-deal Brexit and then rejecting a government motion for snap elections on Monday night, in what was the final vote of the parliamentary session.

The Iranian professors said the suspension of the British parliament is a clear sign of the collapse of the British democracy and is a violation of the British people’s rights.

At the end of the letter, they wished for the growth of the freedom-seeking spirits in Britain.

MH/PA