In defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran

Sun Mar 23 14:12:59 UTC 2008

In defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran

23 March 2008 [12:04] - Today.Az

Speech of Fakhteh Zamani in U.S. Congress

I am here to address the plight of Azerbaijanis living in Iran, whose
basic human rights have been consistently violated and whose voices
have been silenced. The Azerbaijanis, with a population of over 20
million, make up the largest minority in Iran. They are located mainly
in the North and Northwest of Iran. The Azerbaijani language is also
spoken in Northeast and Central Iran, as well as in the capital city
of Tehran. All of these people live under the Iranian Islamic regime,
with severe violations of their social, economic or political rights.

Since 1920's the policy of the Iranian government, both the Pahlavi
dynasty and the Islamist regime, has been one of forced assimilation
and discrimination against non-Persian populations. After the 1979
revolution, the new regime further divided Azerbaijani administrative
regions, removing the name Azerbaijan from large portions of the Azeri
land (e.g., the Eastern Azerbaijan province was split into East
Azerbaijan and Ardabil provinces in 1993, etc.). In fact, the
government has extended this massive persianization of names to not
only include the names of geographical locations but also the names of
children on birth certificates, in the sense that   the Azerbaijani
parents are not permitted to name their children with traditional
Azerbaijani names.

The suppression of Azerbaijaini language lies at the core of the
government's attempt to assimilate Azerbaijaini people. The government
has arrested men and women for simple acts such as possessing
Azerbaijani books, organizing Azerbaijani language classes and
attending festivals to preserve their culture. To date there are
absolutely no school books that are allowed to be published in
Azerbaijani language. Nearly all the literature for kids is in
Persian.  And there is not even a single school for millions of
Azerbaijanis to read and write in their language.

Another means by which the government attempts to suppress the human
rights and freedom of expression of Azerbaijani people is through the
media.  The only TV and radio programming available in Azerbaijani
language is the limited coverage by the state-run stations, which
simply translate state news and propaganda into strongly Persianized
Azerbaijani called "Fazeri".  Fazeri (just like Spanglish) is a mix of
Azerbaijani language with heavy infusion of Farsi language. Of course,
the two languages are radically different – they are from completely
different language groups. This tactic has accelerated the cultural
and linguistic assimilation of Azerbaijanis and, according to the
masterminds behind this, will eventually make Azerbaijani less
relevant and lose a status of a language, being relegated into a
"dialect" of Persian;

Azerbaijanis are routinely and openly insulted on radio, television
and in the national press (all media in Iran is state-run). They are
depicted by intellectually-challenged characters and dehumanized by
being shown as "donkeys" and "cockroaches". In general, Azerbaijanis
are associated with backwardness, due to their lack of fluency in
Farsi language (the official language of Iran). This discrimination is
motivated by the need to assimilate and repress the Azerbaijani
minority, and has been documented, researched and analyzed at length
by such Western scholars as Dr. Brenda Shaffer, Dr. Alireza
Asgharzadeh, etc.

On May 12, 2006, Iran Daily, an official state newspaper, published a
cartoon portraying Azerbaijanis as cockroaches.  Hundreds of thousands
of Azerbaijanis across the country took to the streets to show their
protest in peaceful demonstrations. In retaliation, the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard's anti-riot units, Special Forces and Basij
militias attacked the protesters. At least 27 were killed, hundreds
injured and many blinded by bullet spraying riot guns. Iranian
Intelligence Services then launched a massive detention campaign;
hundreds, including teenagers, were arrested.

The Western media has stayed largely silent on the issue of violations
of the rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran. Few outside of the country know
about the atrocities committed against Azerbaijanis in Iran. Amnesty
International, the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR), and recently the State Department are among a few who have
expressed concern for the safety of detained Azerbaijanis, asking the
Iranian government to respect human rights and their international
obligations.

Azerbaijani activists are in constant struggle for basic rights, such
as the right to education in their natural mother tongue. They are not
permitted to assemble in public places or in their own houses on dates
important for the Azerbaijani nation's history, such as honoring
national heroes like Babak, Sattarhan, Baghirhan, as well as national
leaders like Pishevari. Azerbaijani human rights activists are
constantly arrested and mistreated in Iranian prisons. Even members of
the Azerbaijani clergy, who have been trying to raise awareness about
some of the most basic human rights, have been imprisoned.

The Azerbaijani Human rights activists lack resources to challenge the
oppressive Iranian regime using the very basic means of communication
while risking their lives. The movement for national rights in Iran
lacks international experience or any support from outside, but still
constitutes the strongest challenge to the Iranian regime. The US
policy toward Iran is Tehran-centric; while the biggest challenge for
the Iranian regime is in the provinces where ethnic minorities are
concentrated.

We are asking for support to reach Azerbaijanis and other minorities
in Iran. They need to know that the world is paying attention to them.
They need to know that putting their lives at risk for equal rights is
not in vain. They need hope. And they are looking to the international
community for it. Knowing they have international support will give
them the strength to continue fighting for equal rights. And that
means greater stability and democracy for Iran and the wider Middle
East. Iranian minorities are agents of change in a country that needs
it badly. They are struggling for a positive transformation in Iran;
and they need all the help they can get.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/43840.html

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner
or sponsor of
the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who
disagree with a
message are encouraged to post a rebuttal. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)
*******************************************