Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, May 31, 2022
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| Bulut Alemdar |
According to the Food and Agricultural Industry Federation of Iran, the sale of food products in the country has decreased by 50% following a dramatic increase in the prices of essential food items in recent weeks.
In an interview with Voice of America, political activist Bulut Alemdar pointed out that the Iranian population has become accustomed to high inflation, rising prices, and economic crises over the years.
The recent sudden dramatic rise in food prices began after the government of Ebrahim Raisi abolished subsidies for essential goods. According to Alemdar, "This is not just about Ebrahim Raisi, Ahmadinejad, or Rouhani. It is the result of the overall policies of the Iranian state."
Alemdar highlighted the economic situation in Iranian Azerbaijan, stating that "In the South Azerbaijan region, there has already been an economic embargo since the Shah era; there are few factories, no heavy industries, and the people are forced to migrate. People from all our villages and cities are migrating to Farsi-speaking regions due to unemployment and the poor economic situation. The population of some of our cities is decreasing."
Despite the poverty in Iranian Azerbaijan, Alemdar says protests regarding the economic situation are fewer in this region.
"However, there are still fewer protests in our region. There are many reasons for this. The main reason is that when protests start due to high prices and economic difficulties, they don’t reach anywhere. There is no democratic organization, no international bodies can intervene in this issue, and it cannot turn into a revolution that would change everything. But the situation is very tough. Only a group of people close to the government live comfortably," he said.
Alemdar also mentioned that some forces associated with the government speak as if they are in opposition, trying to show that there is no problem in the Islamic Republic, and that the only issue is the economy.
According to him, "Since the beginning of the Azerbaijani National Movement, all its platforms have highlighted economic pressure, the plundering of our region, the impoverishment of our region, and the issue of high prices."
"This is not something we are just saying now. As inflation and economic difficulties increase, naturally, it must be emphasized more. Because in the end, our goal is for our people to live in freedom and prosperity. But this should not divert us from our fundamental human rights... Some so-called opposition forces, but in reality, their own people, like Muttahari or some mullahs and Friday prayer leaders, say in their speeches that the people are not opposed to the Iranian state, the Islamic Republic, or the mullahs. They say that if the economic situation improves, the people won’t have any other problems. Falling for this [trap] would be dangerous for us. Because what we want is to establish a state based on human rights where the people can live in democratic conditions. Straying from our national discourse will delay the result of our long-standing struggle," Bulut Alemdar noted.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Bulut Ələmdar: İran əhalisi bahalıq və iqtisadi böhranlarla yaşamağa alışıb