Charges have been brought against participants of protests held in Tabriz and Urmia in June against the drying up of Lake Urmia. Southern Azerbaijani activists claim that the Iranian government has not done enough to address the ecological crisis in the lake. Reports indicate that some activists have been released on bail.
In an interview with Voice of America, Sweden-based Southern Azerbaijani activist Yunes Shameli commented on the protests held in various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan in response to the situation of Lake Urmia.
Shameli stated that despite the Iranian government’s attempts to suppress the protests, they still took place. According to him, there are various reports regarding the activists who participated in the demonstrations—some were detained and later released, while others remain in custody.
Referring to Hassan Rouhani’s campaign promises, Yunes Shameli recalled the Iranian president’s pledge to take action to prevent the drying up of Lake Urmia. However, the Southern Azerbaijani activist emphasized that Rouhani has yet to fulfill this promise, nor has he taken any steps toward allowing Azerbaijanis to receive education in their mother tongue. He suggested that expectations of Rouhani adopting a more moderate policy were mostly a matter of political propaganda.
According to Shameli, the protests concerning Lake Urmia demonstrate the ongoing struggle of activists in Iranian Azerbaijan for their national and cultural rights.
“Azerbaijanis today have two main demands: to receive education in their mother tongue and to urgently prevent the drying up of Lake Urmia,” he stated.
Shameli further explained that while national activists continue their efforts within Iran, Southern Azerbaijanis living abroad are working to draw international attention to human rights violations in Iranian Azerbaijan.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Yunus Şamili: Azərbaycanlıların iki istəyi var-ana dilində təhsil almaq və Urmiyə gölünün qurumasının qarşısını almaq