Ensafali Hidayat, Voice of America, September 23, 2011
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| https://www.pensouthazerbaijan.org/ |
After months of efforts by Iranian Azerbaijani intellectuals, the “PEN South Azerbaijan in Exile" was established during a meeting held in Stockholm, Sweden.
The association aims to support hundreds of Iranian Azerbaijani writers, poets, journalists, and other literary figures who have been forced to leave their homeland due to pressures, threats of imprisonment, or life-threatening conditions. The association will help them publish their works in their native language. Additionally, the PEN South Azerbaijan in Exile has expressed its commitment to addressing critical environmental issues, such as the drying of Lake Urmia, which significantly impacts the future of Iranian Azerbaijanis.
At the founding meeting in Stockholm, it was declared that the association would support Azerbaijani writers and called for continued efforts to save Lake Urmia.
The PEN South Azerbaijan in Exile also issued a statement concerning the situation of Lake Urmia and the issue of opening schools in Iran.
A group of Iranian Azerbaijani writers, poets, and journalists decided to establish a new writers’ association because the Iranian Writers’ Association failed to recognize or support writers and works in languages other than Persian. The Persian-language weekly newspaper Shahrvand, published in Toronto, Canada, also reported on the establishment of the association by Iranian Azerbaijanis.
During the meeting, renowned writer and former president of PEN Canada, Reza Baraheni, was unanimously elected as the permanent honorary president of the PEN South Azerbaijan in Exile. Other members of the board include Hashim Khosroshahi, Alireza Asgarzadeh, Sediqeh Edalati, Leyla Mojtahedi, Mashallah Razmi, Shiva Ferehmendi Rad, Sudabeh Ardevan, and Esmail Jamil.
The leadership of the association pledged to act in accordance with the rules of PEN International and to defend the rights of Azerbaijani writers, poets, researchers, and journalists.
In its first statement, the PEN South Azerbaijan in Exile emphasized that Iran is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and multi-cultural country. Half of Iran’s population consists of non-Persians who are denied the right to education in their native languages. The statement also highlighted that many writers, poets, critics, journalists, and researchers in Iran live in linguistic and cultural exile within their own homeland, and those who fight for their rights are imprisoned.
In its second statement, the association drew attention to the drying of Lake Urmia and the potential displacement of millions of Azerbaijanis.
The statement noted that colonial policies have been implemented in Azerbaijan over the past 80 years and expressed support for recent protests. It addressed the Azerbaijani people, stating: “Your struggle against exploitation and colonial policies is invaluable, and we are a part of this significant struggle. The fight against environmental aggression cannot be separated from the fight for linguistic and cultural demands.”
The statement concluded by emphasizing that the fate of Lake Urmia is intertwined with the fate of Azerbaijan. It urged the people of Azerbaijan to persist in their fight to save Lake Urmia and called for the release of those detained during protests against the lake’s drying.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Sürgündə “Güney Azərbaycan” Qələm Əncüməni təsis olunub