Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, April 21, 2017
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| Abbas Lisani |
According to Abbas Lisani, the Iranian government aims to push some forces within the South Azerbaijan National Movement closer to pro-government groups while radicalizing others by issuing heavy prison sentences against Turkish activists. Speaking to Voice of America from Ardabil, the well-known national activist assessed the pressures imposed by judicial and security institutions on Turkish activists ahead of the upcoming presidential and council elections.
Some of those being prosecuted have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years, in addition to being exiled for two years to non-Turkish-populated regions of the country.
Abbas Lisani himself was arrested in February 2014 while attending an event in Ahar to mark International Mother Language Day. He and other activists detained at the same event have recently been summoned to court again.
He stated:
“In the past, such heavy sentences were unprecedented. At least in cases related to events held for the mother tongue and similar activities, such severe rulings have not been seen before… The severity of these rulings, as well as the reopening of files that had been set aside since 2014, raises questions.”
Having spent years in various Iranian prisons, Lisani believes the government is pursuing specific objectives by intensifying these pressures, especially after the formation of the Turkish Regions Faction and in the run-up to elections.
He also pointed out that similar policies have been implemented against the national movement in the past:
“Months ago, the Turkish Faction was established. Alongside this, some officials, even through Friday prayer leaders, took certain steps regarding our mother tongue, our Turkish language, or at least mentioned them in official media. This apparent softening of stance also raised questions for us… The establishment of the Turkish Faction under this name was an achievement for the national movement. Regardless of its effectiveness, we did not have high expectations. However, I told my like-minded colleagues that while we welcome these seemingly softening measures, there is a high probability that severe pressures will soon be applied to the main body of the national movement.”
Abbas Lisani emphasized that the government pursues several objectives with this policy, drawing attention to past events:
“The South Azerbaijan National Movement has gone through various processes… The events of May 2006 were an explosion. That explosion served as an identity document proving that the national movement is a cultural movement. Alarmed by this, the government decided to create an alternative to this movement. Naturally, after that, they launched a very complex set of maneuvers—attempting to hollow out the movement from within, creating divisions, and using some of our simple-minded people to implement certain projects.”
He also claims that the Traktor Sazi football team was introduced within this policy framework:
“They introduced a project called Tractor. Among our youth and people, there is a revolutionary spirit and potential to demand their rights. To absorb that energy, they drew people into stadiums, trying to control it and frame it as a sports issue. But then they realized that the deeply rooted national movement had turned it to its advantage. It reached a point where Tractor became the voice of Azerbaijan, spreading the message beyond Azerbaijan to all Turks outside the region and even throughout Iran.”
According to the Turkish activist, the government seeks to create artificial areas of activity while also subjecting prominent activists to severe repression, hoping to detach some forces from the national movement and steer them in different directions.
“Persian chauvinism creates fake arenas for movement members, diverting them onto other paths to keep them under control. Tractor was one of them, but it backfired. Then came the Turkish Regions Faction. This faction follows the same policy—trying to push our people toward the official discourse crafted by the government. Meanwhile, by applying heavy pressure on the main body of the movement, they selectively target individuals with different mindsets,” he explained.
He believes that, under these circumstances, forces affiliated with the national movement face three possible paths:
“First, those who withstand the pressures completely and continue the logical and cultural path of the national movement, remaining loyal to it. Second, those who move toward the discourse created by the government and officials, such as the Turkish Faction. Of course, I do not entirely dismiss this as negative—these are concessions that the national movement has forced the government to grant due to its pressure. The third path, however, is dangerous—those among our people who, unfortunately, due to inexperience, excitement, or other reasons, may become radicalized.”
He elaborated on the government’s strategy to radicalize some forces within the movement:
“The government wants to push some of our people to their breaking point… They want young people to compare their options and think: ‘If I engage in peaceful struggle, write, read, raise awareness, and organize mother tongue events, I am sentenced to 10 or 15 years in prison. If someone chooses an armed struggle or militarism, they receive a similar sentence—so why not take that path?’ The government’s biggest wish is to radicalize the national movement. We can only counter this by strictly adhering to the fundamental principles and values of the movement,” the prominent Turkish activist added.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Abbas Lisani: Hakimiyyətin ən böyük arzusu milli hərəkatı radikallaşdırmasıdır