By Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, November 24, 2024
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| Amir Mardani, political activist |
Tehran newspapers have published articles claiming that since Masoud Pezeshkian’s election as president, "pan-Turkist and separatist" activities have increased in Iranian Azerbaijan, particularly in Tabriz. The prominent Sharq newspaper featured three op-eds on the topic in its Monday issue.
In an interview with Voice of America, political activist Amir Merdani stated that Tehran seeks to mobilize various groups against the Azerbaijani National Movement by labeling them as "pan-Turkist."
"As the National Movement expands and gains more attention among the people, the Iranian regime tries to alienate the movement from the nation and mobilize other ethnic groups in Iran against it. One way they do this is through labeling. The Iranian government is particularly adept at using the pan-Turkism label to rally non-Turks against national activists," said Merdani.
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| The November 18 issue of the Sharq newspaper, published in Tehran. |
The political activist highlighted the regime's history of silencing dissent through labeling.
"This regime has been very skilled at targeting political forces opposed to it with such labels at different times. In the early years of the revolution, the most common labels were 'anti-revolutionary' and 'godless.' They accused political activists of siding with Saddam [Hussein]. In later years, during cultural struggles, they accused activists of fighting for sexual freedom or dealing with narcotics. Political activists were also accused of theft and corruption. In recent times, as cultural struggles have intensified in non-Persian regions, new labels have emerged, including the pan-Turkist label," he explained.
Amir Merdani cited examples related to the "pan-Turkist" label, stating:
"Recently, we see people being labeled pan-Turkists for very simple actions, even for choosing Turkish names for their children. From there, they go further to portray being Turkish itself as something wrong, indirectly asserting that you are 'Azeri' and promoting their Azerism policy. Naturally, this shows the regime’s fear of the growing strength of the national movement."
The political activist also linked the recent increase in such pressures to the crises Iran’s Islamic Republic is facing in its foreign policy.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Əmir Mərdani: İran Azərbaycanında övladlarına türk adı seçənlərə belə pan-türkist damğası vurulur