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| Babak Bakhtavar |
According to Babak Bakhtavar, after years of the Iranian authorities ignoring social and economic demands, as well as reformist groups failing to fulfill their promises, society has now reached a point where people are willing to risk arrest and other dangers to voice their demands through street protests.
In an interview with Voice of America, the UK-based Turkish activist discussed the struggles of impoverished classes and women in Iran, as well as how organizations affiliated with the Azerbaijani National Movement perceive these struggles.
Highlighting the economic, social, and political crises in Iranian society, Bakhtavar also emphasized that President Hassan Rouhani’s promises had fallen flat:
“When Hassan Rouhani came to power, there was hope that some social freedoms would be restored and that the economy would improve following the nuclear agreement. I won’t even touch on the issue of political freedoms… But from a social and economic perspective, there has been no improvement. On the contrary, hardships have only increased.”
Bakhtavar believes that the worsening problems have exhausted people to the extent that many no longer hesitate to take to the streets, even at the risk of imprisonment and other dangers.
He also noted that organizations affiliated with the Azerbaijani National Movement have not given these issues the attention they deserve:
“I did not see the level of reaction I expected from organizations operating within the Azerbaijani National Movement. Of course, I have seen individuals who support both the women's movement and economic protests. These are serious matters. Organizations that claim to represent Azerbaijan need to pay attention to them,” he stated.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Babək Bəxtavər: İranda qadınlar həbsi gözə alaraq mədəni haqlarını tələb edir