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| Yusuf Kor, a board member of the “Turkmen Sahra Coordination Council” |
According to Yusuf Kor, the Turkmen people in Iran have been struggling for nearly a century to restore local governance in the Turkmen Sahra region.
In an interview with VOA Persian, Yusuf Kor, a board member of the “Turkmen Sahra Coordination Council,” discussed the political struggle of the Turkmen for equal rights in Iran's modern history and elaborated on the current demands of the Turkmen community.
“In the winter of 2018, a popular movement began in Iran, and people took to the streets in cities. For the first time, demands were made for the removal of the Islamic Republic’s government. Afterward, we saw unity as a necessity of this era. In response to this need, three organizations united to form this council and take more active steps,” said the Turkmen activist.
The Coordination Council was established through the collaboration of the “Turkmen Culture and Politics Organization,” the “Turkmen National Democratic Movement,” the “Turkmen Studies Center,” and a group of Turkmen political activists.
According to Yusuf Kor, the Council advocates for building a federal governance system in Iran based on democracy, human rights, and equality, as well as for granting political status to Turkmen Sahra.
“The main goal of the Council is to keep the Turkmen visible as a national minority and a nation in Iran, while cooperating with other nations. We demand a system that ensures equal rights in Iran and includes the right to self-determination for us as well. We want federalism based on democracy and human rights,” Kor stated.
Turkmen people live in various parts of the Golestan, North Khorasan, and Razavi Khorasan provinces. These areas, where Turkmen are the majority, are referred to as Turkmen Sahra by both Turkmen and neighboring communities. However, the name Turkmen Sahra does not exist in Iran's administrative divisions.
According to Yusuf Kor, Turkmen Sahra has had political status during different periods, including after the Constitutional Revolution and following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and has been governed by Turkmen.
“After the Constitutional Revolution, Iran adopted its first constitution, which allowed for the establishment of ‘Provincial and Local Councils.’ In 1919, the Turkmen used this opportunity to establish local governance in their region. However, after Reza Shah’s coup against the Qajar dynasty, he abolished this autonomy and sent military forces to Turkmen Sahra. In response, the Turkmen declared a republic... The Turkmen government was overthrown in 1925,” Kor explained.
He also highlighted the “Worker-Farmer Councils” established in Turkmen Sahra after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which briefly took control of the region.
“The Turkmen created local governance in their region for the second time after the 1979 revolution. We established dual power, which lasted until February 1980,” said the Turkmen activist.
Yusuf Kor was one of the founders of the Coordination Center for the Turkmen Councils.
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| The building of the Coordination Center of the Turkmen Sahra Councils, which operated during 1979-1980. |
In the early months of 1980, the Turkmen councils were violently dismantled by Tehran's forces.
International human rights organizations report that the Turkmen, who follow the Sunni Hanafi school of thought, face discrimination in Iran on both religious and ethnic grounds.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Yusuf Kor: İrana federalizm, Türkmənsəhraya siyasi status istəyirik