Voice of America, September 16, 2021
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| Urmia Children with Turkish Books |
Ahead of the school openings in Iran, Turkish language rights activists in Urmia, the capital of West Azerbaijan province, distribute Turkish-language books among children.
Based on news and footage shared on social media, cultural activists have recently distributed Turkish-language storybooks to children in different parts of the city.
Among the books given as gifts are those written and published by the well-known author and language rights defender, Akbar Azad, who has faced recent censorship.
Previously, book distribution campaigns were organized in various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan and in Tehran, marking World Mother Language Day, the start of the new school year, and the anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Government (1945-46).
Except for the short-lived Azerbaijan National Government period, since the Pahlavis came to power in Iran, the teaching of the native language has not been allowed in schools in Iranian Azerbaijan.
During the Islamic Republic era, officials have repeatedly made promises and statements about teaching Turkish in schools, but this has never been implemented in practice.
Since 2008, hundreds of Turkish activists who have participated in events for World Mother Language Day have been placed under surveillance and faced imprisonment.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Urmiyədə mədəni fəallar məktəblərin açılışı ərəfəsində türkcə kitablar paylayır