Date:12.05.05
No: 278/ 2005
The General Secretary of the United Nations
Dear Mr. Koffi Annan, Your Excellency,
We have commented on several occasions on acts of repression and inhumane assimilation that Iran is inflicting on Southern Azerbaijanis, contrary to modern values and principles. The lack of response on your behalf incites our curiosity.
We are enclosing an excerpt of the defence of an interrogation in an Iranian court on 4 April 2005, imposed on Mr Abbas Lisani and his fellow thinkers in Erdebil, Southern Azerbaijan. It is clear from the excerpt that these fellow Azerbaijanis, demanding their human and national rights through democratic means, simply wish that trial proceedings be in their mother tongue.
We are confident that you are well aware of UN conventions and international law granting the right that the conduct of judicial proceedings be in the mother tongues of those on trial. The Islamic Republic of Iran consistently violates a whole range of rights including this convention on mother tongues, despite its constitutional adoption and in spite of 70% of its population being non-Persians.
An outcome of chauvinistic mentality is that the very existence of the nationhood of 30 million Southern Azerbaijanis is being undermined to the extent that there is no single classroom in our mother tongue. Lately, restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities on speaking in mother tongues foretell that our nation is at the brink of an unprecedented tragedy, the tragedy of a “white genocide.” Not surprisingly, fellow Southern Azerbaijanis, who actively demand our rights, suffer from long prison sentences, undergo heavy bails, are dragged from one bogus trial court to another or are being sentenced to death for a variety of excuses.
Mr Abbas Lisani and his fellows are just a few of some 2000 Southern Azerbaijanis, of which we have written to you on numerous occasions. In recent days, we also witnessed that Iranian rulers imprisoned Mr Yusif Beni-Torof, an Arab journalist of Ahvaz-Arab and Mr Mehdi Neimi, a Southern Azerbaijani journalist; also to mention Mr Insaf Eli Hidayeti, a Southern Azerbaijani journalist, who has been imprisoned for two years in his home city, Tebriz - all of whom are demanding their national rights.
The global trend toward democracy and freedom is encouraging, but appeasing violators such as Iran is a disgrace. Naturally, we are very anxious and thus appeal to you and all organisations concerned with human rights to take interest in our fate and make a representation and condemn the devious policies of the regime in Tehran as outlined here.
Half a million Southern Azerbaijanis are now preparing for our annual tradition of demonstrations in the Babek Castle, near the city of Tebriz in Southern Azerbaijan on July the first. We challenge international journalists to report the proceedings of this great event.
Your organisation can also contribute by sending your representative to observe this annual event. We will regard this gesture as your commitment towards upholding the right of self-determination and in turn it will aspire our nation towards securing our rights through democratic means.
Mr Boyuk Resuloglu
Chairman of
The Committee of Defending the Rights of the World Azerbaijanis
CC: This letter is circulated widely to rally for the coverage by western journalists for the demonstration movement to take place in Southern Azerbaijan at Babek Castle on 01 July 2005. This is the only way to prevent the foreseeable tragedy to be inflicted on Southern Azerbaijanis by the regime in Tehran. Please do send your observer to the region to listen to our democratic voice and monitor our national movement.
1- USA : Washington post -- Losangles times
2- UK : London times
3- Sweden : Svenska dagbladet -- Aftenbladet -- Sydsvenska
4- France : De lemonde
5- Switzerland: Blick
6- Germany : FAZ -- Die Zeit
7- Turkey : Cumhuriyet -- Hurriyet -- Zaman
8- Azerbaijan : Exspress -- Ayna
9- Jndia : Hindistan times
10- Norwej :Aftenposten-- TA
11- Canada : National post-- The Globeand Mail
12- Radio Free Europe
13 - TV-Elcezire-
14- TV - Anayurd
15 - TV- GUN_AZ
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EXCERPT
The Attachment to the covering letter
CIVIL DISOBEDIANCE
This excerpt reflects a glimpse of the trial court imposed on the demonstrators of the Qarabagh Mosque (the Sarcheshme Mosque of Erdebil) including: Abbas Lisani, Husen Lisani, Mehdi Mehemmed-pur, Calal Teqevi, Mohsun Refi’i and Rehim Haji-zade.
Abbas Lisani: Please permit me to defend myself in my mother tongue, Turkic Azerbaijani, against the accusations.
Judge: Does that mean that you do not speak Persian?
Abbas Lisani: You know well that Persian, in not being my mother tongue, is a foreign language for me. I therefore request the conduct of my defence be in Turkic Azerbaijani and the presence of a translator from Turkic Azerbaijani to Persian and from Persian to Turkic Azerbaijani; else I be excused and hereby refuse to speak and respond in Persian.
Judge: I am recording in the interrogation sheet that your defence be in Turkic and be accompanied by a translator; this will adversely affect the final verdict on your case.
To Mr Rehim Haji-zade: the same accusation is also made on you. Please present your defence.
Rehim Haji-zade: Please permit the conduct of our defence to be in Turkic Azerbaijani.
Judge: Can you not also express the conduct of your defence in the Persian Language?
(Without any intention of plagiarising the original sentence, the affirmative form of the statement in Persian was changed to a question suiting English better.)
Rehim Haji-zade: No, I too cannot express my defence in the Persian language.
Judge: What is the level of your education?
Rehim Haji-zade: I am a graduate of the University of Tehran in municipal engineering.
Judge: So you have no problem and can easily conduct your defence in the Persian Language.
Rehim Haji-zade: Not at all. The problem still remains the same. In this respect, my degree of Master of Science and the level of education of the other accused make no difference. I cannot command my expressiveness in the Persian language.
Judge: Can you or will you not?
Rehim Hajizade: In reality there is no difference. There is no legal basis for the trial to be in Persian.
Judge: Sooner or later the parliament would solve this one. What would you do then?
Rehim Haji-zade: Then again, I will not obey.
Judge: Why?
Rehim Haji-zade: Your legislations of this nature will be void for the reason that the right to defence in mother tongue is founded and supported by conventions of international law and approved by the state of Iran and its parliament. This convention expressly states that from its date of adoption, this international law shall prevail if and when there is a conflict between this convention and any legislation of the country that has undersigned it and approved it in their parliament. This convention expressly states the right of conduct of trials in the mother tongue. Therefore your envisaged legislation will be void.
Judge: I accept. Do not enter to international law. So do you wish to defend in Persian or not?
Rehim Haji-zade: I do not.