July 7, 2019 — Gozaar
Babak Castle is a structure situated on a mountain at an elevation of 2,300 metres, three kilometres from Kaleybar in East Azerbaijan Province.
The fortress was built during the Sasanian period and takes its name from Babak Khorramdin, who rebelled against the Abbasid caliphs approximately 1,100 years ago.
Every year in Iran, a number of Turkish (Azerbaijani) activists gather for the annual Babak Castle ceremony in Kaleybar County, East Azerbaijan Province, where they voice their demands and grievances.
Under Article 27 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, public gatherings and marches are declared permissible, provided that participants do not carry weapons and that the gatherings are not detrimental to the fundamental principles of Islam. Nevertheless, every year, as the date of the ceremony approaches, a number of activists in Turkish-populated regions are summoned or arrested.
On Saturday, July 6, 2019, we spoke with Ali Azizi, a Turkish (Azerbaijani) activist, about the Babak Castle gathering.
When did this gathering begin?
“Following the end of the Iran–Iraq War, Azerbaijani Turks lost hope in the policies of the Islamic Republic and became disillusioned with the prospect of realizing their demands. Consequently, various movements, including the student movement, emerged to pursue these demands.
“Babak Castle was one of the places where Azerbaijani activists voiced their demands and organized ceremonies. These activities began approximately in the early 1990s and reached their peak from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Because Turks make highly effective use of symbols and symbolic spaces, a castle, shrine, or other site can become an occasion for voicing our demands.
“The largest crowds attended the Babak Castle ceremony in 2002 and 2003. After 2003, however, checkpoints were established and access routes to the site were effectively restricted on the days of the ceremony.”
What demands do activists raise at this gathering?
“Education in the mother tongue, the elimination of economic and political discrimination against Turks, the establishment of a 24-hour television channel, and even the federal administration of the country are among the demands raised by activists during this ceremony. In 2003, a statement was also issued in three languages: Turkish, Persian, and English.”
Under Article 27 of the Constitution, gatherings and marches are permitted provided that no one carries a weapon and that they do not violate the fundamental principles of Islam. Why, then, are such gatherings suppressed?
“Contrary to the provisions of Article 27, participants in virtually all gatherings are confronted by the authorities. This has become a general practice: every critical gathering is met with repression. Although this gathering takes place outside the city, in an area where it poses no security problem, the authorities’ response intensified as the number of participants grew. They eventually began using checkpoints at the entrances to cities along the routes leading to the site to prevent the gathering from taking place each year.
“Every year, we witness the mistreatment of participants. In 2004, more than 100 people were arrested. Last year [2018], for example, several people were detained, including Ebrahim Nouri, Abbas Lisani, Rahim Gholami, Jafar Rostami, Keyumars Eslami, and a number of others whose names I cannot presently recall.”
How was the ceremony held this year?
“Several days in advance, security forces contacted many activists and warned them not to attend the ceremony, threatening that they would face consequences if they participated. This year, the security forces allowed only families to enter and prevented young, unmarried people who wished to attend from reaching the site. Plainclothes and uniformed police officers aggressively ordered citizens to leave the area.”
Thank you for giving us this opportunity.
“Thank you as well. I hope that all political and ideological prisoners in Iran will be released.”
In July 2018, dozens of Turkish (Azerbaijani) activists were arrested in various cities across the country’s northwestern regions.
In recent years, Turkish activists have regularly attended annual gatherings at this site to voice their demands.
Each year, during these ceremonies, large numbers of Turkish civil activists are arrested by security forces on charges such as “propaganda against the establishment” and “acting against national security.”
Turkish speakers constitute between 16 and 25 percent of Iran’s population. Most live in the provinces of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, and Zanjan. Some of these citizens regard the authorities’ treatment of Turkish citizens as discriminatory. They consider the prohibition of teaching non-Persian languages in schools one of the most prominent examples of discrimination—a policy that has consistently prompted protests by some civil activists in these regions.
Regarding Ali Azizi, a Turkish (Azerbaijani) activist, it should be noted that he was most recently arrested on Sunday, June 2, 2019 [12 Khordad 1398], after appearing before Branch 6 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Urmia. His bail was increased, and because he was unable to post the required amount by the specified deadline, he was detained. On Saturday, June 15, 2019 [25 Khordad 1398], he was temporarily released from Urmia Central Prison after posting bail of 150 million tomans, pending the completion of judicial proceedings.
After appearing before Branch 6 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Urmia on Sunday, June 2, 2019, Mr. Azizi was detained because of the increased bail amount and his inability to post it by the required deadline. On Tuesday, June 11, 2019 [21 Khordad 1398], he contacted his family and informed them that he had been transferred to the youth ward of Urmia Central Prison.
Because he was unable to provide the bail of 150 million tomans, he was detained and transferred to the Urmia Intelligence Department’s detention facility.
On Saturday, June 8, an informed source reported:
“Following his arrest, Mr. Azizi was transferred to the Urmia Intelligence Department’s detention facility. There, he was interrogated and formally charged with ‘membership in groups and organizations opposed to the establishment.’ On June 7, he was transferred from the Intelligence Department’s detention facility to the detention centre at Urmia Prison.”
This Turkish (Azerbaijani) activist had previously been arrested alongside Ata Karimi by security agents in Urmia in June 2015. They were subsequently released temporarily on bail, pending the completion of judicial proceedings.
At the time of their arrest in 2015, Mr. Karimi and Mr. Azizi were charged with “propaganda against the establishment.”
In 2016, the investigating magistrate of Branch 6 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Urmia issued an order dismissing the case. However, the deputy prosecutor prevented the dismissal order from taking effect and demanded that proceedings be resumed.
In recent years, Mr. Karimi has repeatedly appeared before the relevant judicial branch to object to the delays in the handling of the case.