Mehsa Mehdili: I Will Fight for Azerbaijan!

 Voice of America, November 8, 2012

Mehsa Mehdili

After returning to her hometown of Urmia, national activist Mehsa Mehdili was arrested by Iran's intelligence services. Recently, she found asylum in Turkey. In an interview with Voice of America, Mehsa shared the path she took in the struggle for national revival and the trials she faced.


While in Urmia, Mehsa began her political activities. During her student years, she worked on promoting the Azerbaijani Turkish language. After going to Turkey for higher education, she expanded her activities.

Shortly after returning to Iranian Azerbaijan, Mehsa was arrested by Ettelaat (Iran's intelligence agency) at the house of a close relative and was held in prison for several days. During this time, she was subjected to prolonged questioning while blindfolded. Mehsa stated that she will not back down from her fight for the rights of the Azerbaijani people.

According to Mehsa, a national awakening is taking place throughout Iranian Azerbaijan, and an increasing number of Azerbaijani Turks are joining the struggle to preserve their national identity.

The interview with Mehsa Mehdili was conducted by our correspondent, Insafali Hidayat, based in Canada.


Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Məhsa Mehdili: Azərbaycan üçün savaşacağam!