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| Abdulla Amirhashimi |
In an interview with Voice of America, Abdulla Amir Hashimi, chairman of the South Azerbaijan Congress, reflected on the events following the overthrow of the Azerbaijani National Government by the Iranian army in 1946.
The activist, who was once affiliated with the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, described the burning of Turkish books by the Iranian army, particularly in Azerbaijani cities, as an act of cultural genocide after the national government was overthrown.
"After the fall of the National Government, the Shah’s regime not only dismantled the institutions it had established, revoked the democracy it had achieved, and disregarded the agreements it had signed, but also, on the 26th of Azar (December 17), burned all Turkish books in Azerbaijan. This included not only textbooks but also ancient books," said Mr. Amirhashimi.
He considered the book-burning incident "not only an attack against Azerbaijan but also against the education and enlightenment of all humanity."
Referring to the negotiations between the Azerbaijani National Government and the central Iranian government, Mr. Amir Hashimi noted that during that period, the leaders of the Democratic Party believed in the negotiation process.
According to the activist, who now lives in exile in Sweden:
"After the successes of the national government, the central government initially retreated and engaged in negotiations. The central government recognized the reforms in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani government, and the Democratic Party, signing agreements with them.
This was a democratic process, and the leaders of the Party believed in it. They sought to expand this process by cooperating with the central government. However, the central government was not genuinely committed to this process. Using the pretext of monitoring elections, it deployed the army to Azerbaijan and began massacring the population."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Abdulla Əmirhaşimi: 1946-cı ildə türkcə kitabların yandırılması mədəni soyqırım idi