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| Amnesty International fears that Abdollah Sadoughi, a football journalist from Iran's Azerbaijani Turk minoritized community, may be imprisoned as a prisoner of conscience. |
Abdollah Sadoughi, a sports journalist and civil rights activist from Azerbaijan, was released from Tabriz prison after a three-week hunger strike. Amnesty International welcomed his release in a statement.
Abdollah Sadoghi, an Azerbaijani writer and journalist, was arrested on January 18, 2009, after distributing a poster in support of the Tractor Sazi football team by agents of the Islamic Republic's intelligence. After enduring 22 days in detention, he was transferred to prison in Tabriz. He spent the last three weeks on a hunger strike in protest against his unjust imprisonment. The efforts of human rights organizations in Iran and abroad ultimately led to his release. Amnesty International issued a statement regarding this matter, welcoming the release of this Azerbaijani civil rights activist.
You can listen to Deutsche Welle's interview with Abdollah Sadoghi here and read the text below.
Deutsche Welle: Mr. Sadoghi, you have just been released from prison. Can you first tell us the reason for your arrest?
Abdollah Sadoghi: The reason for my arrest is simply my Turkish identity. In this country, being Turkish is a crime in itself. Anyone who has an interest in their homeland and their language is considered a criminal and should not engage in such actions. Their problem with me is that I have read the Turkish language and am a Turkish writer. However, they have attributed various crimes and accusations to me: propaganda against the regime, connections with foreigners, and many other charges.
But specifically, what was the reason for your detention, and then these accusations were made against you?
I had obtained permission and put up two posters for "Tractor Sazi." On them, I had written in Turkish: "The pride of Turks is Tractor." Then they claimed that no one was authorized to give me permission for such things. But after they arrested me, they continuously attached accusations to me.
Why is there such sensitivity towards the Tractor Sazi team?
Honestly, this system is a racist one. It says that the nation is only Persian, and others do not even have the right to live. It’s not just about the Turks; Kurds and Lors also cannot write or study in their own languages. There isn't even a fully Turkish newspaper in Tabriz. Because when Tractor plays, everyone there chants in Turkish and holds nationalistic beliefs, that's why there is sensitivity towards Tractor.
One of the accusations against you was support for Pan-Turkism. What do you say about this?
First of all, Pan-Turkism has no meaning in Iran. We cannot be Pan-Turkists. Pan-Turkism is mentioned when we have sovereignty and then want to prohibit a language. All nations are human beings; all nations have the right to exist; all nations have the right to civil liberties and human freedoms. We do not believe in Pan-Turkism at all. We simply say that there should be schools in the Turkish language, and Article 15 and 19 of the Constitution should be implemented.
You went on a hunger strike in Tabriz prison. Why did you decide to go on a hunger strike?
I had previous political experience and had been arrested before. Earlier, during an election meeting with Mir Hossein Mousavi, we shouted slogans. We stated that we support a candidate who acknowledges our rights and will act for our rights. I did not see any qualifications in Mousavi for this. We had taken a stand against him at that time, and I was arrested.
But this time I had absolutely no crime; nothing at all. I mean, from my perspective, there was no action that I did that could be considered a political crime. That’s why I said that until justice is served regarding me, I will go on a hunger strike.
Of course, it doesn’t matter. Outside is like prison for me. Today they said, "There is a Tractor game now; don’t come, there is sensitivity towards you." Outside feels like prison for us too. There is no difference. I said that as long as justice is not served, death is better than rotting away in prison. For two months, they had neither specified my charges nor provided me with a lawyer to talk to. I told the judge that I need a lawyer. He said he wouldn’t allow the lawyer to come at all. There are very harsh treatments towards Azerbaijani civil activists. I said that until justice is served, I will go on a hunger strike.
What led to your eventual release, Mr. Sadoghi?
Well, many factors played a role in my release. One is the activists outside. I appreciate their efforts; they worked hard. The same applies inside. As my brother said, if I hadn’t been released that day, there would likely have been protests in Tabriz. All of these things played a role. Perhaps they also saw that they could not hold me. If something happened to me, surely events would unfold in Tabriz that they would not forgive themselves for.
How do you feel now?
I am gradually recovering. My condition is not very important. I have grown up in the favorable climate of Azerbaijan. I don’t care if my life is lost for Azerbaijan. My physical condition is not important to me. What matters is that I want to see the people of Azerbaijan happy, to see them achieve their rights. For me, these things are important.
Interviewer: Keyvandokht Ghahari
Editorial: Mostafa Malekan
Link to the original text in Farsi: https://www.dw.com/fa-ir/a-5349610