Say (No.)              : 372/ 2006

Tarix (Date): 28 Avqust 2006

 

BMT İnsan Haqları Ali Komiserliyi, Cenevrə

 

Lütfən bu məktubu Milli Azlıqlar üzrə Müstəqil Mütəxəssis çalışqan qrupa çatdırasınız

 

Üzü                      Amnesty International, London

                             UNESC

                             Kütləvi informasiya vasitələri

 

 

Sayın Cənablar,

 

MÜRACİƏT: ANA-DİLİMİZİ ORTADAN QALDIRMAĞA YÜRÜDÜLƏN İRANIN QƏDDAR YIXICI SİYASƏTİ

 

Güney Azərbaycanın durumunu diqqətiniz üçün ortaya qoyuruq ki, İranın yetgililəri Güney Azərbaycan millətinin insan haqlarını tapdayırlar və o cümlədən ana-dilimizdə təhsil haqqımızı bizdən alırlar. Farscanı  bizim 30 milyonluq millətimizə və eləcə də İranda başqa millətlərə qarşı zorla qəbul etdirirlər. Aşağıda sizin dəstəyinizə müraciət etmək niyyəti ilə verilən durumumuza gərəkən bəlgələr artıracağıq.

 

Durumun Miqyası: İran hökuməti  bizim ana-dilimizə qarşı Farscanı müqəddəs və rəsmi dil kimin aparır. Bunun şiddəti o qədərdir ki, ana-dilimizdə heç bir sinif də belə keçirilmir. Bunun birbaşa nəticələrindən birisi uşaqlarımızı yad Farscanı öyrənməyə və Farscanı heç bilmədən danışmağa, hətta cərimə və kötəklə də olsa, məcbur etmələridir. Bu yolda hələ uşaqlarımızı döyməkdən də belə çəkinməyirlər və bu xüsusda Farsca boyunduruğunu qəbul etməyən 6 yaşlı məktəblilərimizi də tənbeh edirlər. Bizim dilimiz və mədəniyyətimiz asta ölümə məruz edilmişdisə indi bu dinçi rejiminin törətdiyi cərəyan aşkarca irqçilik siyasətləri ilə sürətləndirməkdə.

 

Cari Planlanmış Etirazlar: Güney Azərbaycanda yeni təhsil ilinin başlanması ilə bərabər millətimiz həm aktiv həm də mədəni itaətsizlik tədbirləri kampaniyaları yetirməkdə. Zorakılığı rədd edən millətimiz bu dinc fəaliyyətləri aparacaqdır:

  1. Güney Azərbaycan şəhər və qəsəbələrində başdan başa etirazlar keçirmə
  2. Təhsil ilinin birinci günündə mədəni itaətsizlik yolu ilə çocuqlarımızı məktəblərə göndərməkdən imtina etmə

 

Risklər: Bu planlanmış etirazları aparmaq üçün iştirakçı fərdlərə çoxlu risklər vardır. Bu müddəa irəlidəki təcrübəmizə əsaslanır ki, dinc etirazçılarımıza qarşı İranın hakim qüvvələri ehkamçı siyasət apardı. May ayında Güney Azərbaycanı bürüyən kütlə etirazları və 29-30 İyun 2006 da Babək Qurultayı ərzlərində cərəyanlar ilə tanış olmanıza şübhəmiz yoxdur ki nəticədə:

 

Durumumuzu Dəstəkləyən İnsan Haqları Maddələri: Dünya icması tərəfindən sizin üzərinizə gətirilmiş mandatları xatırlatmaq istəyirik; özəlliklə 18 Dekabr 1992 də qəbul olunmuş 47/135 Saylı Qətnamə: Milliyyətə ya Etnos (budun), və Dil Azlıqlarına Daxil Olan Şəxslərin Haqları Uğrunda Bəyannamə. Bunun Maddə 9-u ifadə edir ki: Bu bəyannamədə ortaya qoyulan haqq yaxud prinsiplərin bütövlüklə gerçəkləşməsi üçün Birləşmiş Millətlər Təşkilatının sisteminə aid hər ixtisaslı agentlik və başqa qurumlar öz səriştələri hesabı ilə xidmətlərini etməlidirlər. Bu müdrikliklə layihələnmiş bəyannamə Güney Azərbaycanlı milləti kimiləri qorumağa yanadır. Ana-dilində təhsilə gəldikdə, İranın ana-yasasının Maddə 15, 19 və 20 də bu haqqı tanıyır. Bunlara baxmayaraq, bizim Komitə 1999-dan bəri və başqa Güney Azərbaycan qurumları da Güney Azərbaycana qarşı bu verilmiş haqların İran hökuməti tərəfindən sistematik tapdanmasını qeydiyyata almaqdadır.

Bu Məktubun Sancaqları: İran hökuməti öz qanunlarını pozmaqdan və Bəyannamə 47/135-yə saymazyanalıq etməkdən çəkinməyir. Buna görə bəzi bəlgələr belədir:

  1. Sancaqlı Bəlgə 1: Bu İsveç Millət Vəkillərinin İran Prezidentinə hazırladıqları bir ərizədir ki qayğı görəvi əsasında həmnöv Güney Azərbaycan çocuqlarını Fars dilinə məruz qalmamaları üçün ifadə etmişlər.
  2. Sancaqlı Bəlgə 2: Bu Güney Azərbaycan Öyrənçilər Hərəkəti tərəfindən buraxılmış bir bildirişdir ki səslərini beynəlxalq forumlarında rele olmağını istəmişlər.
  3. Sancaqlı Bəlgə 3: Bu bir xəbərdir ki, Güney Azərbaycan medialarında buraxılmışdı. Bu xəbərə görə, Güney Azərbaycanın bir şəhərində vali dilimizə qarşı cəsarət edib amma nisbi dalı çəkilməyə məcbur olmuş. Nə isə, bu hadisə dilimizin acınacaqlı vəziyyətdə başsız olduğunu aşkara çıxardır və göstərir ki yalnız cəsarətli fərdlərimizin müdafiəsi ilə qorunma imkanı vardır.
  4. Sancaqlı Bəlgə 4: Bu bir xəbərdir ki, Xanım Heydəri adda kitabçı dükan-sahibin boğuntuya məruz qalmasını açıqlayır.  Bu xanımın dükanının adı Çiçək idi və onu dəyişməyə məcbur idi. Çiçək 5 illik Zəncanın Kəsra bazarçasında Türkcə kitab yaymaqda dəyərli xidmətləri olmuşdu lakin 23 Avqustda bu dükan qapanma məcburluğuna gəlib çatmışdı.
  5. Sancaqlı Bəlgə 5: Bu bəlgə Cənab Abbas Leysanlının müdafiəsini bir dəfə daha sizə xatırladır ki ana-dilimizi qorumaq üçün özünü nə qədər təhlükəyə məruz edir. Onun şəkli ilə verilən ifadələr də dükanın adı Türk sözü olma ucundan nə qədər əzablara məruz qalmasını aşkara çıxardır.
  6. Sancaqlı Bəlgə 6: Bu bizim Cənab Kofi Annana 15 Yanvar 2006-dakı məktubumuzu yadınıza salır ki, Mehran Rəhimi adlı bir 6 yaşlı Güney Azərbaycanın balasına görədir ki Farsca danışmamaqdan ötrü kötəklənmişdi.
  7. Keçmiş Məktublarımız: Biz ardıcıl olaraq BMT-yə yazdığımız məktublarda ana-dilimizin sıxışdırılmış durumunu ifadə etmişik ki İran dövləti 30 milyonluq Güney Azərbaycanlının dilinin statusunu qəbul-olunmaz duruma gətirib çıxarmışdır, bax bizim məktublarımıza: Say 301/2005, Tarix 22 Noyabr 2005; və Say: 323/2006, Tarix 19 May 2006. Ana-dilimiz Güney Azərbaycanın rəsmi dili statusuna gəlib dirçəlməyənə qədər biz yorulmadan sizə yazacağıq.

 

Bizim bu Müraciətimiz: Ümid edirik ki, dilimizi və mədəniyyətimizi qorumaq üçün sizin dəstəyinizi əldə edək. İsveç millət vəkilləri tərəfindən dəstək ərizəsini hüzurlarınıza göndərdik və biz Güney Azərbaycan Öyrənçilər Hərəkəti tərəfindən mədəni itaətsizlik çağırışını sizə rele etdik. Aydındır ki, indi sükut vaxtı deyildir, necə ki sizin səsiniz məzlum Güney Azərbaycanlıları qəddar təqibatdan qoruya bilər. Əgər Güney Azərbaycanlıların və başqa millətlərin uşaqları uğrunda Fars dilində təhsil aparmamasından ötəri bu qaldırılan səslərə səs verməsəniz irqçi İran hökumət bundan qüvvəti-qəlb alacaqdır

 

Hörmət ilə:

 

Böyük Rəsuloğlu

 

 

 

Dünya Azərbaycanlılarının Haqlarını Müdafiə Komitəsinin sədri

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                             

Say (No.)              : 372/ 2006

Tarix (Date): 28 August 2006

 

The Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva,

Please circulate this letter to Independent Expert on Minority Issues

 

CC                        Mrs. Harrison, Amnesty International, London

                             UNESCO

                             Published in the various mass media

 

Dear sir/madam,

 

Re       COMPLAINT AGAINST IRANIAN ONSLAUGHT TO ERADICATE OUR MOTHER TONGUE – TURKIC AZERBAIJANI

 

A clear case is presented for your attention that Iranian authorities are violating human rights of the nation of Southern Azerbaijan by denying the right for education in our mother tongue, Turkic Azerbaijani. The Farsi language is coerced against our nation of 30 millions and indeed against other nationalities within Iran. Below, we outline our case with appropriate documents and hereby appeal for your active support.

 

Scale of the Case: The government of Iran regards Farsi as the sacred and official language at the expense of our mother tongue, Turkic Azerbaijani. The severity of this case is such that there is no single classroom educating in our mother tongue. One direct result of this is the case of a systematic abuse of children for being forced to study in the alien Farsi language and even speak in it without its basic command else our children are liable to fines or physical punishment. Even instances of beating up have been documented, where children as young as 6 year old are punished for refusing to be yoked by Farsi. Our culture and language was subjected to slow death for the last 80 years but in recent years, this process has accelerated as the theocratic regimes become more explicit in their racist policies.

 

Currently Planned Protests: With the commencement of this academic year in Southern Azerbaijan, our nation is preparing various active and civil disobedience campaigns, whilst rejecting violence. Currently planned activities include:

  1. Orchestrated protests throughout Southern Azerbaijani cities and town.
  2. The civil disobedience of withdrawing children from attending school on the first day of this academic year.

 

Risks: Both of the above measures entail considerable risks to the participating individuals. This assertion is based on our recent experience of the inflexibility of the Iranian rulers against peaceful protests. We assume that you are sufficiently aware of our current episode of the mass protests, which swept through Southern Azerbaijan in the last week of May 2006 and the Babek Assembly on 29-30 June 2006:

 

Human Right Articles Supporting Our Case: We duly remind you the commendable mandates bestowed upon you by the world community through Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic and Linguistic Minorities, adopted by General Assembly resolution 47/135 of 18 December 1992. In particular, Article 9 states: The specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system shall contribute to the full realization of the rights and principles set forth in the present Declaration, within their respective fields of competence. This declaration is wisely designed to protect nations such as Southern Azerbaijanis from unscrupulous policies. On the question of the right for education in mother tongue, the Iranian Constitution confers such a right in Articles 15, 19 and 20. In spite of all these, our Committee since 1999 and other Southern Azerbaijani activists have been documenting that the Iranian government has been violating systematically the provisions conferred by all the articles of Resolution 47/135 or their own Constitution against Southern Azerbaijanis.

Attachments to this letter: The Iranian government flagrantly violates their own laws and acts in contempt of Resolution 47/135. Some of the evidence for this includes:

  1. Document 1 of the attachments: This is the transcript of a letter undersigned by Swedish politicians to Iranian authorities as an expression of their duty of care for fellow human beings of Southern Azerbaijani children coerced to study in Farsi.
  2. Document 2 of the attachments: This is a statement by Southern Azerbaijani Students Movement, requesting their call to be relayed to international human right forums.
  3. Document 3 of the attachments: This is a news item published in Southern Azerbaijani media, where the governor of a Southern Azerbaijani city even dares against our spoken mother tongue but retreats. The episode signifies that our language is under threat and only daring individuals can defend it.
  4. Document 4 of the attachments: This is a news item describing the suppression experienced by Mrs. Heyderi, the owner of a bookshop located in the Kesra Shopping Mall, Zenjan. The name of her bookshop was Chichek, a Turkic Azerbaijani word meaning flower and she was forced to change it. She ran her business under relentless pressures for five years and was appreciated for her services. However, the bookshop was finally sealed on 23 August 2006.
  5. Document 5 of the attachments: This highlights the defence of Mr. Abbas Leysanli and shows to what length he had to go in order to bring our mother tongue into the agenda. The caption besides his picture exposes that the authorities are not even tolerating the name of his shop in Turkic Azerbaijani.
  6. Our open letter to Mr. Kofi Annan, on 15 January 2006: This was related to a 6 years old Southern Azerbaijani child, Mehran Rehimi, abused for refusing to speak in Farsi.
  7. Our Past Correspondence: We have been consistently raising our complaints to the UN on the relentless attacks of the Iranian government reducing the status of the language of 30 million Southern Azerbaijanis to the verge of extinction, see our letters: Ref.: 301/2005 on 22 February 2005 and Ref.: 323/2006 on 19 May 2006. We shall keep writing to you until the reinstatement of the status of our language as the official language of Southern Azerbaijan.

 

Our Appeal: We hope to rally your support for safeguarding our culture and language. We attached a petition undersigned by the Swedish members of parliament and relayed you the call for civil disobedience by the Southern Azerbaijani Students Movement. Obviously, this is not a time to remain silent, as your voice will protect innocent Southern Azerbaijani individuals from cultural prosecutions. If you do not speak up for the children of Southern Azerbaijan and for the children of other nationalities within Iran against the coercion of education in Farsi, the appeased perpetrating authorities will be condoned.

Yours sincerely,

 

Boyuk Resuloglu

 

For and on behalf of

The Committee for the Defence of the Rights of World Azerbaijanis


 

Mr. Abbas Leysanli has emerged as the defender of the nation of Southern Azerbaijan

Mr. Abbas Leysanli, a poet and writer, is currently in Iranian dungeons for promoting the Azerbaijani identity. He broke his fifty days of hunger strike in the dungeon while still in detention on 29 July 2006 and when his brother told him that: “the authority will only lift the bar on your business if you change the name of the business from Chenlibel to a non-Azerbaijani word.” Chenlibel means foggy foothill and has a connotation similar to Camelot. Mr. Leysanli talked on behalf of his nation for our mother tongue saying that: The name of our business is not for sale, not least for the reason that Chenlibel is one of the ancient symbols of our Azerbaijani legends and dear for all of us, Azerbaijanis.

 

The Case of the 6 years old Mehran Rehimi

Mehran Rehimi was beaten up by his teacher for refusing to speak in Farsi. He lives in the Qirmizi Khelfe village, 12 Km from Qoshachay between Tebriz and Urmu. The ordeal inflicted on this little boy took place on 23 September 2005 but by no means unique. Similar ordeals have been experienced up-and-down Southern Azerbaijan but unnoticed. This time, thanks to increasingly vocal activists this dreadful incident received an international publicity, exposing a rotten abuse that we have all been subjected in the last 80 years. After the campaign, the teacher was apparently forced to apologise for beating up the child.

 

 

The National government of Southern Azerbaijan reinstated the status of our mother tongue

 

 

 

Southern Azerbaijani Parliament 1945-46

 

 

The status of the Turkic Azerbaijani language was reinstated in 1945-46 after being onslaught for more than 10 years by the Pahlavide regime. When the invading army of Tehran overthrew our popularly elected national government, they burnt books in our language, outlawed it and subjected to a slow death.

 

 

 

The first university established by the national government in 12 June 1956

       

 

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Document No 2: The letter of some of Swedish Politicians to the Iranian President

To: President Ahmadinejad

The Presidency, Palestine Avenue,

Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Iran


Copy: Kofi Annan

Secretary-General of United Nations


Stop depriving the identity of the children of Iran!


Autumn has arrived in Iran, and according to the tradition, millions of happy and excited children set out to their classrooms for the first time. First day at school is a day many children throughout the whole world dream about and anxiously look forward to.


Now they, like so many before them, will get to learn to read and write, and to meet new comrades. But what quite half of the schoolchildren in Iran don't know is that what's waiting them in their classrooms is far darker than they can ever imagine. Soon they will learn that education in their mother tongue not only is forbidden, but that it's also associated with great shame and punishment.


Iran is a multicultural country with several large ethnic groups represented, among them Azerbaijani-Turks, Persians, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Baluchis. Over half of the country's population is of non-Persian origin; despite this the only official language of the country is Persian. In paragraph 15 and 19 in Iran's constitution it is elucidated that use of mother tongue in education is permitted, yet the only language learned and used in the school system is Persian.


Like the rest of the world, Iran is today a country in change. We all know that the school period is a crucial milestone in every human beings life and that the first years in school have a great importance for the development of an individual. It is therefore important to remind the Iranian government of taking care of its cultural diversity and richness, instead of trying to eliminate it. Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Arabic, Turkmen and Baluchi schoolchildren in Iran need all the help they can get to be able to study in their mother tongue, to be able to be proud over themselves and their origin.

 

Undersigned by:

1.        Nergiz Nedaei, Chairman of the Azerbaijani-Turkish Youth Association in Sweden; Tel: +46 31 3310918

2.        Hélène Goudin, member of the European parliament (junilist) helene.goudin@telia.com

3.        Gudrun Schyman, member of the Swedish parliament; Former chairman of the Left party; Tel: +46 8 7864652

4.        Anders Bengtsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Social-democrats); Tel: +46 8 7864756

5.        Mikael Damberg, member of the Swedish parliament (Social-democrats); Tel: +48 8 786 46 97

6.        Kent Harstedt, member of the Swedish parliament (Social-democrats); Chairman of the Swedish UNICEF
Tel: +46 8 7865647

7.        Lars Johansson, member of the Swedish parliament (Social-democrats); Tel: +46 8 786 47 85

8.        Hillevi Larsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Social-democrats); Tel: +46 8 786 43 99

9.        Anne Ludvigsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Social-democrats); Tel: +46  8 7865313

10.     Yoomi Renstrom, member of the Swedish parliament (Social-democrats); Tel: +46 08 7864799

11.     Ameer Sachet, member of the Swedish parliament (Social-democrats); Tel:+46 8 7864732

12.     Anna Sjodin, Chairman of Swedish Social-democratic Youth; Tel: +46  8714 48 00

13.     Asa Westlund, member of the European parliament (Social-democrats); awestlund@europarl.eu.int

14.     Carl B Hamilton, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Chairman of the EU-commission; Tel: +46 8 7865765

15.     Anita Brodén, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Tel: +46 8 786 4481

16.     Kerstin Heinemann, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Tel: +46 8 7864744

17.     Fredrik Malm, Chairman of the Liberal Youth Association in Sweden; Tel: +46 8 410 242 32

18.     Cecilia Malmstrom, member of the European parliament (Liberal Party); cmalmstrom@europarl.eu.int

19.     Gunnar Nordmark, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Tel: + 46 8 7864182

20.     Birgitta Ohlsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Tel: +46 8 786 47 30

21.     Tore Robertsson, Industrialist; Member of Malmo municipal executive board (Liberal Party); Tel: +46 40 944030 

22.     Nyamko Sabuni, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Tel:+46 8 786 43 10

23.     Olle Schmidt, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Former member of the European parliament; Tel: +46 8 410 242 15.

24.     Cecilia Wigstrom, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Tel: +46 8 786 5616

25.     Christer Winback, member of the Swedish parliament (Liberal Party); Tel: +46 8 7865557

26.     Tove Fraurud, chairman of the Association for Young Lefts in Sweden; Tel:  +46 8 654 31 00

27.     Berit Jòhannesson, member of the Swedish parliament (Left Party); Tel: +46 8 7864678

28.     Kjell-Erik Karlsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Left Party); Tel: +46  8 786 47 79

29.     Sten Lundstrom, member of the Swedish parliament (Left Party); Tel: +46 08 7864624

30.     Rolf Olsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Left Party); Tel: +46 8 7864650

31.     Jonas Sjosted , member of the European parliament (Left Party); jsjostedt@europarl.eu.int

32.     Sven Erik Sjostrand, member of the Swedish parliament (Left Party); Tel: +46 8 -7864581

33.     Camilla Skold, member of the Swedish parliament (Left Party); Tel: +46 8 7864682

34.     Tasso Stafilidis, member of the Swedish parliament (Left Party); Tel: +46 8 786 57 12

35.     Eva-Britt Svensson, member of the European parliament (Left Party); e-b.svensson@bredband.net

36.     Karin Thorborg, member of the Swedish parliament (Left Party); Tel: +46  8 7864618

37.     Staffan Danielsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Center Party); Tel: + 46 8 7864437

38.     Lena Ek, member of the European parliament (Center Party); lek@europarl.eu.int

39.     Agne Hansson, member of the Swedish parliament (Center Party); Tel: +46 8 786 4297

40.     Kenneth Johansson, member of the Swedish parliament (Center Party); Tel: +46 8 7865346

41.     Hakan Larsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Center Party); Tel: +46 8 786 44 33

42.     Johan Linander, member of the Swedish parliament (Center Party); Tel: + 46 8 786 44 42

43.     Sven Brus, member of the Swedish parliament (Christian-democrats); Tel: +46  8 7864759

44.     Per Landgren, member of the Swedish parliament (Christian-democrats); Tel. +46 8 786 43 53

45.     Torsten Lindström, member of the Swedish parliament (Christian-democrats); Tel: + 46 8 7864686

46.     Alf Svensson, member of the Swedish parliament (Christian-democrats); Former chairman of the Christian-democratic Party; Tel: + 46 8 786 50 11

47.     Anders Wijkman, member of the European parliament (Christian-democrats; Former vice general secretary of the United Nations; Former general secretary of Swedish Redcross; anders@wijkman.nu

48.     Christoffer Fjellner, member of the European parliament (Conservative Party); cfjellner@europarl.eu.int

49.     Cecilia Magnusson, member of the Swedish parliament (Conservative Party); Tel: +46 8 7864637

50.     Alexander Chamberland, mouthpiece for the Green Youth party in Sweden; Tel: +46 704 36 86 91

51.     Mona Jonsson, member of the Swedish parliament (Green Party); Tel: +46 8 7864535

52.     Jan Lindholm, member of the Swedish parliament (Green Party); Tel: +46  8 7864443

53.     Carl Soderbergh, general secretary Swedish Amnesty; carl.soderbergh@amnesty.se

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Document No 2: Declaration of Southern Azerbaijani Students Movement (SASM) supporting an all out civil disobedience for securing the status of our mother tongue

 

16 September 2006

 

Re:   Declaration of the Southern Azerbaijani Students Movement (SASM) supporting the nationwide protest on 23 September 2006, First day of the academic year in Southern Azerbaijan and Iran

 

Following the widespread protest of students and other national activists across many towns and cities in South Azerbaijan, to racist and chauvinistic policies of the Iranian regime which took place in May 2006, the apt struggle of our people for human rights and continues stronger than ever.

 

During last few years, national awareness and self-respect of Azerbaijanis have brrn an encouragement to demand an official status for our language and to be practiced in our schools, colleges and universities. In recent years, the Turkic Azerbaijani language has flourished spontaneously and achieved its due recognition in our society.

 

The student movement has expressed their protest to the atrocities taking place in our motherland and in this way it gave rise to the manifestation of the public condemnation and outrage in May 2006. Sadly, the Iranian regime inaptly ignored all the statements and petitions by the student movements and from other sectors and disrespected all the national laws and international conventions. This led to the national outrage of Azerbaijanis. So far, hundreds of articles have been written on the importance of native languages and the damaging effect of replacing them with Farsi within Iran.  However, the most effected are always the children. Clearly, the object of this declaration is not to make any comparison between Farsi and other native languages in Iran but to invite all Azerbaijani and other students within Iran to participate in this peaceful demonstration on 23 September, the first day of the academic year there when all different nationalities in Iran are forced to start the academic year in Farsi.

 

As there is a limited time left before the first day of this grim academic year in Iran, we hope that the support will be expressed to 30 million Azerbaijanis struggling to secure their right in making Turkic-Azerbaijani as an official language. We appeal to all students, their parents, teachers and other groups of people from all other nationalities within Iran such as Kurds, Turkmen, Azerbaijani and Arabs by organising peaceful demonstrations.

Azerbaijanis peaceful demands for human rights are their natural, moral and lawful right. We hope that all democratic establishments, political parties and other organisations will support us in our quest for cultural and national freedom.

 

Southern Azerbaijani Student Movement sincerely welcomes any support they can get from all nations within Iran in our rejection for being forced to start the academic year in Farsi. We further hope that they will raise this important issue with all humanitarian and other international organisations.

 

 

 

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Document No 3: A Case of Suppressing our Mother Tongue

 

31 July 2006

Ref.: http://www.azadtribun.net/Fa_15.htm

Re: Illegalising spoken Turkic Azerbaijani in Maki (also known as Maku)

 

Governor General of Maki expressed his opposition for even speaking Turkic Azerbaijani in all governmental offices in Maki.

 

In response, clergyman Mir Ehmed Musevi, the Imam of Friday prays in Maki, claimed that as the overwhelming majority of the people in Maki are Turkic Azerbaijanis, it is neither right nor practical to deprive the people from their right to converse in their mother tongue. He further mentioned that speaking in the Turkic Azerbaijani language has never been the cause of any problem in the past and that it should continue as before.

 

However, after the Friday sermon, an argument started between Mr Safar Ali, the Governor General and the city’s clergyman Mir Ehmed Musevi.