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| Hassan Shariatmadari |
Political activist Hassan Shariatmadari, speaking about the protests in Iran, including in Iranian Azerbaijan, states that it is the Turks who participate in the protests who can achieve a decentralized government in Iran, not those who stay on the sidelines. In an interview with Voice of America, the son of the late Ayatollah Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari evaluates the ongoing mass protests in Iran.
"I had predicted that these protests would happen, including myself. When the Kermanshah earthquake occurred, I said that this earthquake is nothing compared to the social earthquake that is coming. But no one could predict when it would happen. The speed and intensity with which it came was unexpected," he says.
According to him, "The government has kept the people with promises for 40 years. 23-24 years ago, Khatami came and promised reform. The people trusted him and supported him. After him, Ahmadinejad came, and despite election fraud, he promised to bring prosperity. Then Rouhani came and said Ahmadinejad was a thief and that he would fix things. But the situation has worsened significantly."
Mr. Shariatmadari, one of the leaders of the former Muslim People's Republic Party, emphasizes that the problem is not just economic difficulties:
"The economy has collapsed and become an unworkable system, but it has been hijacked by a mafia group, with the IRGC spending money in regional countries... But it's not just that. The people are protesting the state of education and healthcare, discrimination, disrespect, the lack of freedom, and the absence of free press."
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| Protests in Zanjan |
"This time, the people have realized that this struggle between reformists and conservatives will not get us anywhere... Conservatives tried to turn these protests to their advantage and shift the blame to the Rouhani government. But the people thought and their slogans turned to the point where they said that this corruption and theft is the fault of all of you. Whether conservative or reformist, all of you have your hands in the same pot," he declares.
In May 2006, the mass protests organized by Turks in Iranian Azerbaijan and other regions did not receive support from central Iran. Similarly, during the 2009 protests in Tehran against election fraud, there was silence in Tabriz.
In Shariatmadari's view, Azerbaijan's grievances with the central government actually began in the years following the Islamic Revolution. He refers to the suppression of the movement initiated by his father, Ayatollah Shariatmadari's supporters, through the establishment of the Muslim People's Republic Party.
Nevertheless, Shariatmadari emphasizes that the only path for Iranian Azerbaijan is to act together with other regions of the country:
"Our path is to be with other Iranians, peacefully and civilly. We will demand our rights. We will not allow discrimination against us. A decentralized, democratic government based on human rights, with freedom of language, religion, conscience, and culture, must be established, and we will establish it... The Turks who participate in the protests can achieve decentralized power, not those who stay aside. If you participate, you will earn your share, but if you stay on the sidelines, they will leave you behind," he adds.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Həsən Şəriətmədari: İranda mərkəzsizləşmiş hakimiyyət istəyən türklər kənarda durmamalı