Date (Tarix) 30 May 2006

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Ref (Muraciət): Press Release 2

OVERVIEW OF THE ONGOING MASS PROTESS IN SOUTHERN AZERBAIJAN

Peaceful mass protests are sweeping through Southern Azerbaijan , where our homeland is currently under the reign of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Azerbaijanis are united with the world and the United Nations in rejecting the aggressive stance Iran has adopted in international affairs as well as its explicit nuclear ambitions. The relative media silence regarding a fledgling Azerbaijani democratic movement remains surprising. We will pose a number of questions and answer them here to introduce you the salient aspects of the culmination of our national movement.

Where is Southern Azerbaijan ?

Situated in the Near East, Southern Azerbaijan stretches from the banks of the Caspian Sea to its borders with Turkey and Iraq . Its historic capital is Tebriz ( Tabriz ) with other cities of including Urmu, Erdebil (Ardabil), Zenjan (Zanjan) and Hemedan  ( Hamadan ). Azerbaijan was the main player in “the Protectorates,” a country renamed as Iran in March 1935.

Who are Azerbaijanis?

It is a common myth to limit Azerbaijan to the boundaries of the Republic of Azerbaijan with a population of less than eight million. In reality, the Republic of Azerbaijan constitutes only part of a larger region inhabited by Azerbaijanis. Southern Azerbaijan is an area with a population of 35 million, lying within the northern parts of present day Iran . Azerbaijanis have historically been open minded and pioneering, being amongst the first in the modern history of Iran to embrace printing, publishing, newspapers, modern schools, railways, etc. Tebriz has traditionally been a source of rational, dissident thought.

Why did Azerbaijani nationalism remained subdued until recently?

The alienation of Azerbaijani national interests and culture dates back over eighty years. Azerbaijanis and other Turkic dynasties ran protectorates in medieval times up to the emergence of modern nationalism. The protectorates were normally ruled by Turkic-Azerbaijani dynasties based on the Turkic consciousness of mutual respect. Modernist movements in Azerbaijan at the beginning of the twentieth century caused some concern amongst colonial powers of the time. In consequence, the democratic ideals of Southern Azerbaijan were forced into retreat in the early 1900s and in so doing, were unable to insist upon equal status for Azerbaijani language and culture within the embryonic state of Iran .

Why was the status of the Azerbaijani language sidelined and banned?

Turkic languages, including Azerbaijani, have a rich history and have much to offer in the arena of world culture. Unfortunately, Persian racism has attempted, since the 1900s, acts that were all too common amongst the more brutal governments of the previous century. Languages in Iran , including Azerbaijani, were banned and books in those languages burned, with not a trace of shame. Where much of the rest of the world has moved on, in Iran these attitudes persist at the highest levels.

What are the grievances of Southern Azerbaijan ?

Ongoing Persian racism and suppression and the intransigence of the Iranian government have subjected numerous grievances upon Southern Azerbaijanis,

• Divide and rule e.g. partitioning Southern Azerbaijan into the provinces of (i) East Azerbaijan, (ii) West Azerbaijan , (iii) Zenjan, (iv) Qezvin, (v) Hemedan, and (vi) Erak; (vii) recently the province of Erdebil.

• Illegal misappropriation, whereby the administration of parts of Azerbaijan are transferred to Persian provinces, e.g. Astara, Enzeli and Beyjar (Bijar).

·           Assimilation policies to alter the ethnic composition of Southern Azerbaijan , e.g. the Provinces of Erak, Hemedan, Qezvin and Zenjan. These territories have been broken off from Azerbaijan in the context of administration and government, without popular consent, in an attempt to weaken

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• Economic deprivation where Southern Azerbaijan is endowed with rich potential but suffers from deliberate policies of underinvestment and dispersal of Azerbaijani wealth to other parts of Iran. Southern Azerbaijan may have been regarded as prosperous a hundred years ago but its current situation is in stark contrast to this. Statistics released officially in 1996 suggest national income per head in Iran was $600 but only $250 in Southern Azerbaijan (Erdebil, Zenjan, Urmu, and Tebriz).

• Depriving Southern Azerbaijanis of our basic right to education in our native language and alienating our people by not permitting free use of our language in the media and other cultural activities.

• Running a well orchestrated campaign of abuse against the dignity of our nation and under false and dubious accusations, subjecting those in our national movement to torture.

How did ongoing mass movement break out?

An extremely offensive cartoon was published in the official daily newspaper Iran on 12 May 2006. Although using abusive language is afforded credibility in the deeply rooted chauvinist culture of Iran and has a long history, this particular incident emerged when Azerbaijani students had just proposed that 8 May 2006 be the National Student Day of Azerbaijan. The offensive material published by Iran triggered organised and peaceful student protest in Azerbaijan .  University after university went on strike and protest gatherings formed around Tebriz. On the 20^th and 21^st of May 2006 the expected support did not materialise. On 22 May 2006, these student protests were joined by the wider population with over 250,000 people on the streets.

This is how the events rolled out:

• The 22^nd of May 2006: The population of Tebriz, the historic capital of Azerbaijan , joined the student protests, reaching an estimated number of more than 250,000  as a culmination of the protests against the state sponsored defamation of Azerbaijanis. The news of this incredible mass protest reached the Azerbaijani Diaspora but not immediately to other Southern Azerbaijani cities.
• The 23^rd of May 2006: The population of Urmu, the second largest Southern Azerbaijani city, initiated similar protests, whilst unaware of events in Tebriz.
• The evening of 23^rd of May 2006: State radio and television urged everyone to march through Tebriz to express their solidarity with the state against unrests instigated by, in the words of the regime, “foreign infidels.” Intrigued, people across Southern Azerbaijan became aware of the scale of popular protest.
• The evening of 23^rd of May 2006: The national movement immediately devised a strategy of: (i) boycotting state sponsored protests in Tebriz on 24^th May 2006 and (ii) called everyone to an Azerbaijani counter-protest in the afternoon of the same day.
• a.m. 24^th of May 2006: Turnouts for state-sponsored marches were dismal figure, exposing the absence of  support for the government;
• p.m. 24^th of May 2006 – a historic date: Mass protests materialised all over Azerbaijan , reaching its far corners of Qezvin, Hemedan and Bijar, revealing the maturity of the national movement of Southern Azerbaijan .
• 25^th and 27^th of May 2006: The confused Iranian regime deployed the similar trick of stage-managed marches through Urmu and Erdebil (the third largest Azerbaijani city), respectively. These were rebuffed by mass protests of Azerbaijanis in the afternoon at both cities at the respective days, exceeding 300,000 participants.
• 28 May 2006 – Sunday: Further mass protests were staged throughout Southern Azerbaijan and in Tehran . One of two outcomes was expected: (i) that channels of dialogue be established between Southern Azerbaijanis and the Iranian authorities; or (ii) the authorities would opt to suppress the movement. In choosing the latter approach, the actions of the Iranian government have heralded the birth of Southern Azerbaijani nationalism.

What was the scale of the Azerbaijani national movement before 22 May 2006?

The consolidation of the Azerbaijani Student Union was itself the outcome of stiff resistance of Southern Azerbaijanis in the last 10 years of struggle. Main aspects of this 10 year of struggle were:

• The emergence of the Babek Assembly which celebrates the birthday of our national hero against the Arab occupation of Azerbaijan in the 8^th century.
• The formation of many cultural and musical groups all over Southern Azerbaijan embracing Azerbaijani culture, challenging the chauvinism of the ruling government
• The flourishing of Azerbaijani poetry and universal embrace of the Azerbaijani language
• A decline in Azerbaijani economic health, exploitation of its mineral wealth and a negative local  environmental impact from mining and processing industries
• Actions of the Iranian President Mr Ahmadinejad offending Azerbaijanis, when he congratulated, in his words, “Persian speakers all over the world and Muslims of the world” on the occasion of Novruz celebrations on 21 March 2006 - undermining the status of the nation of Azerbaijan.

What is the vision towards the future?

It seems that the rulers of Iran know have adopted a regressive and inward-looking approach to ruling their country. Faced with this prospect, Southern Azerbaijanis are now only interested in the national interests of Southern Azerbaijan . Some of the demands of the national movement include:

• The promotion of Turkic Azerbaijani as the official language of Iran and Southern Azerbaijan
• Conglomeration of historic Azerbaijan into one single administrative territory of Southern Azerbaijan
• Parliamentary re-election in the Unified Southern Azerbaijan
• Consideration by the United Nations of the right to self-determination of Southern Azerbaijan

Southern Azerbaijani Campaign Group