Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, November 16, 2023
Iran's civil registration authority in Tabriz has refused to issue an ID card for a newborn child named "Baycan," chosen by the Jabrayili family.
According to sources such as HRA Agency and South Azerbaijan Television (Günaz TV), after losing hope at the registration office, the Jabrayili family has turned to the court to restore their right to choose their child's name.
According to Günaz TV, Baycan's father, Ramin Jabrayili, stated, "Baycan was born on October 7. Since the registration office did not accept the name, we went to court. On November 14, we did not receive a response from the court. We will go to court again and bring documents and books."
In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of families in regions with significant Turkish populations in Iran choosing Turkish names for their children. According to information released last week by the Zanjan Province Registration Directorate, "Ayhan" was the most popular boy's name in Zanjan Province during the first half of the current 1402 Hijri year.
Families in Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran have been trying to raise their voices through social media, as they have struggled for months or even years to obtain ID cards for their children with the Turkish names they have selected. Previously, reports circulated on social media about Iranian authorities refusing to issue ID cards for names such as Alp Orhan, Sevgi, Yağış, Oğuz Kaan, Onur, Alparslan, Atakan, Ayıl, Hakan, Elcan, Elin, Anar, Türkay, Tarkan, and Volkan. Some of these names were eventually registered after families filed multiple appeals to the registration offices or courts.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Təbriz qeydiyyat şöbəsi 'Baycan' adına şəxsiyyət vəsiqəsi vermir