November 3, 2013
To Mr. David Ensor, Director of Voice of America
Dear Mr. Ensor,
This letter expresses the concerns of Azerbaijani civil rights activists regarding the consistent neglect of news related to the Azerbaijani Turkish ethnic groups in Iran by the Persian division of Voice of America (VOA).
In April 2013, five Azerbaijani civil rights activists from the Yeni GAMOH party’s central council were sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison, with each activist receiving a 9-year sentence. These individuals had focused their efforts on advocating for the rights of the Azerbaijani Turk minority in Iran, whose rights have been systematically violated by the Iranian government.
In June 2013, these activists began a hunger strike in protest of their unfair trials and mistreatment in Tabriz prison. In retaliation, Iranian authorities transferred them from Tabriz to Rajaee Shahr prison. After 28 days, and in response to civil society's appeal, they conditionally ended their hunger strike. Several human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Front Line, issued declarations condemning this violation and demanded their immediate release. Despite the condemnation from thirteen human rights organizations and nearly two thousand civil rights activists signing a petition for their freedom, the Persian division of VOA ignored this news. Repeated requests for coverage of the issue were rejected by VOA Persian, even as the story gained significant attention among the Azerbaijani community in Iran.
This lack of coverage is not an isolated incident but rather part of a pattern in which VOA Persian consistently overlooks stories related to non-Persian populations in Iran.
Given the lack of trust in news from the Islamic Republic of Iran, foreign media—particularly VOA—plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion in Iran. Ignoring issues that are important to your audience in Azerbaijan risks damaging the trust that the public places in your media. Such negligence regarding the concerns of the large Azerbaijani population in Iran could undermine VOA's credibility and lead to a significant decline in viewership in Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, neglecting to address the demands of minority groups for equal rights only exacerbates social divisions in Iran. It hinders efforts to build a democratic society and obstructs constructive dialogue among various ethnic and linguistic groups.
Without accurate and fair coverage of Azerbaijani issues, your audience may develop a distorted understanding of the political situation in Iran. This could lead to a lack of awareness about the struggles faced by Azerbaijanis, contrary to the values outlined in VOA's mission and manifesto.
We urge you to ensure that Azerbaijani news is covered alongside global and regional news. We also call on VOA Persian to play a more active role in highlighting human rights abuses against Azerbaijani political prisoners. We believe that adhering to the principles of fairness and justice, as outlined in VOA’s manifesto, requires providing Azerbaijani activists and political specialists with the platform to express their views directly, rather than relying on individuals who are not directly involved in the issues facing the Azerbaijani community.
Yours sincerely,
A group of Azerbaijani Turk Civil Rights Activists