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| Arrested Turkish Language and Civil Activists |
Human rights defenders and Azerbaijani websites report that during the recent mass arrests in Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran related to World Mother Language Day events, more than 100 activists were detained. Approximately 50 activists were released on bail, but many others remain in detention. Dozens of national activists, including those from the Mugan region of Ardabil, as well as from Tehran and cities like Malikandi, are still being held in Iranian police and security agency prisons. Some of the detainees have reportedly started hunger strikes.
According to reports, some of the activists detained by authorities in Tehran’s Nesm-şahr and Akbar Abad areas during the Mother Language Day events are in serious condition after being beaten and arrested by officials. The Günaz TV website reported that Ali Reza Farshi, a national activist who had previously been dismissed from his university teaching position due to his activities, was injured during his arrest. In addition to Ali Reza Farshi, other well-known activists arrested in Tehran include Akbar Azad, Israfil Sultaniyan, Mansur Fathi, and Behnam Sheikhini.
According to Oyan News, several activists detained in Ahar on February 20, including Abbas Lisani, Saleh Molla Abbasi, Ibrahim Savalan (Rashidi), Ibrahim Nuri, Behzad Abdi, Akbar Abulzadeh, and Abbas Nazari, have been taken to Ettelaat prison. Many activists are still being held in Ahar prison.
The detained activists, taken to the security agency’s prison, have started hunger strikes. It is also reported that many activists have refused to pay the high bails set for their release. In some cases, bails of up to 100 million toman have been demanded for their release.
“Oyan News” noted that since the detention of activists Said Hosseini and Nasir Abdulhosseinzadeh in the Mugan region of Ardabil about a week ago, their families have not been allowed any phone contact or visits.
Several activists have also been arrested in Zanjan, Binab, Qushachay, Salmas, and Malikandi (Malikan) cities. In some cities, the authorities have primarily prevented Mother Language Day events from taking place.
Security forces have blocked the celebration of Mother Language Day at the grave of the famous poet and religious scholar, the late Dede Katib, in the Quluncu neighborhood of Urmia, who passed away on Mother Language Day in 2009. According to Azerbaijani websites, Iran's security officials have threatened national activists and the public.
National activists regard these arrests as an indication of the insincerity of the government of Hassan Rouhani, which had promised the right to education in the mother tongue. These arrests are described as the largest wave of detentions related to Mother Language Day events since February 2007. “After Hassan Rouhani’s promises, it was not expected that the Iranian government would suppress Mother Language Day events so harshly and detain activists on such a large scale,” said Southern lawyer Saleh Kamrani in comments reported by the press regarding the arrest wave.
Among those arrested in Ahar was writer and Turkish language teacher Ruzbeh Saadati, who had given an interview to Voice of America in recent weeks. In that interview, he stated that he would assess the seriousness of the Rouhani government’s promises regarding the rights of non-Persian ethnic groups after observing future developments.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Güneydə Ana Dili Günü həbsləri ilə bağlı son məlumatlar