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| Turkish civil activists from Azerbaijan in Iran |
Lately, groups that provide information about human rights conditions in Iran have reported a noticeable increase in pressure on Turkish and Arab activists.
Internet portals such as South Azerbaijan TV (Günaz TV), the HRA agency, and Araz News recently disclosed the names of several Turkish activists who have been sentenced to prison, summoned to court, or placed under surveillance.
Human rights defenders have also reported that following mass protests in areas inhabited by Arabs, many Arab activists have been taken into custody.
According to the reports, Murtaza Muradpur, who was released in December after carrying out a 65-day hunger strike, was re-arrested on March 5.
According to HRA, Muradpur is under the control of the "Sepah" security apparatus.
Günaz TV previously reported that Abdullah Abbasi Cavan, a university professor and national activist sentenced to six months in prison, was taken to court in Tehran under escort by officials. According to the court's decision, Cavan must report to Tehran's Evin Prison after the Nowruz holiday to serve the remaining part of his six-month sentence.
In recent days, many Turkish language rights defenders have been summoned to the courts in Tabriz, Ahar, and Meshginshahr.
Abbas Lisani, Akbar Abulzadeh, Murtaza Mohammadi, Saleh Molla-Abbasi, Alireza Chengizi, Suleyman Kazimi, Beitulah Barzgar, Ismail Fatullazadeh, Murtaza Safari, and Majid Nagizadeh are required to appear at the Revolutionary Court in the coming days.
According to local activists speaking to Voice of America, many activists, especially in the city of Ahar, have received written summonses from the court. However, the names of most of them have not been revealed in the media.
Additionally, in recent weeks, Turkish language rights activists Siyamek Mirzayi, Alireza Farsi, Akbar Azad, Hamid Manafi, and Behnam Sheikh have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years, along with an additional 2 years of exile.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İranda türk və ərəb fəallara basqılar artıb