Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, May 23, 2014
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| Akbar Pashayi, Urmia, West Azerbaijan - May 2006 |
Akbar Pashayi, a national activist from South Azerbaijan who participated in the mass protests of May 2006, spoke with Voice of America about how the "national uprising" began and analyzed the political climate that led to the May uprising. A graduate of Urmia University, he specifically discussed the protests that took place in his university and the city of Urmia.
The national activist, originally from the city of Miyana, stated that the series of protests in May were organized systematically and started in universities before spreading into the streets of various cities.
"During the demonstrations organized in universities, it was announced that the protests would continue in the cities. We knew the activists in the cities and were in contact with them," the cultural activist said.
According to him, "After the caricatures were published, extensive efforts were made at Tabriz and Urmia universities. In a resolution read during a protest at Urmia University, it was demanded that the systematic insults against Turks implemented by the government be eliminated, and, based on human rights declarations, language and cultural freedom for Turks was requested."
The former political prisoner shared his observations of the mass protests that took place in Urmia on May 23, 2006, with Voice of America.
He emphasized that the main streets of the city were filled with protesting crowds, people from different social classes participated in the demonstrations, and the protests were conducted peacefully and in a civilized manner.
Akbar Pashayi stated that the slogans chanted during the protests, in which he also participated, were primarily related to national demands and language rights, and no slogans were directed against the government:
"The city protests took place in a highly civilized atmosphere. In general, no slogans were chanted against the government. The protesters chanted slogans such as ‘Haray Haray, I am a Turk!’, ‘My language will not die, it will not turn into another language!’, ‘Education in one’s mother tongue should be available to all!’, and ‘Death to fascism!’"
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Əkbər Paşayi: May etirazlarına toplumun bütün sinifləri qatılmışdı