Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, September 26, 2024
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In various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan, activists advocating for the rights of the Turkish language distributed Turkish books in the context of the opening of schools.
According to news shared by Güney Azerbaijan Television (Günaz TV), Araz News, and social media, activists distributed books to children in neighbourhoods and in front of schools in cities like Ardabil, Urmia, and Tabriz over the past four days.
The news shared on social media indicated that the activists were protesting the ban on education in the Turkish language through their book distribution campaigns.
For several years, cultural activists have organized book distribution campaigns in various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran to mark International Mother Language Day, the start of the new school year, as well as the anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Government (1945-46).
With the exception of the short-lived period of the Azerbaijan National Government, Turkish language education has not been taught in schools in Iranian Azerbaijan since the Pahlavis came to power in Iran.
During the Islamic Republic period, 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 language rights defenders who have organized and participated in events for International Mother Language Day have been placed under surveillance, as well as faced imprisonment and exile.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İran Azərbaycanında mədəni fəallar məktəblərin açılışı münasibətilə türkcə kitab hədiyyə edib