Deutsche Welle Persian - February 22, 2021
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| Photo: ILNA - The placards read: "Our undeniable right today is education in our mother tongue," and "Article 15, the Turkish language." |
This year's International Mother Language Day in Iran was marked by protests against the "destruction of non-Persian languages" and the "imprisonment of mother language defenders." The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions defended the right to education in one's mother tongue.
Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA), the news outlet of the human rights activists in Iran, reported extensively on the situation of non-Persian languages and the legal and social issues they face. It was noted that speakers of non-Persian languages such as Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, and Balochi are deprived of the right to education in their mother tongue.
This year, a language proficiency test in "Persian language adequacy" was implemented in some regions of Iran. According to this plan, children in areas where Persian is not the mother tongue must pass the Persian proficiency test to register for school.
The proposal for the Persian language proficiency test was suggested by Rezvan Hakimzadeh, the Deputy Minister of Primary Education in Iran's Ministry of Education.
Defenders of mother tongue education described the test as a clear example of injustice against non-Persian speakers in Iran, calling it "linguistic genocide."
Activists in the mother language movement have faced security and legal pressures under various pretexts and labels, including "separatism."
HRANA's report also highlighted the confirmation of the five-year prison sentence for Zahra Mohammadi, a citizen from Sanandaj and an activist in Kurdish language education, as well as the arrest and sentencing of eight other Azerbaijani Turkish activists in this field.
Protest Rally in Front of the Judiciary
On Saturday, the 2nd of Esfand (February 20), a number of civil activists in Sanandaj held a protest rally in front of the city's judiciary to condemn the five-year prison sentence for Zahra Mohammadi, a Kurdish language teacher and activist in mother language education.
Earlier, 38 Kurdish civil organizations had written a letter to President Hassan Rouhani protesting the "exclusion of non-Persian languages in Iran" and requested him to review the verdict against Zahra Mohammadi.
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Students in minoritized ethnic regions are also calling for the teaching of their mother tongue in Iran. On the girl's sign, it is written in Turkish: "I want to study in my mother tongue," and on the boy's sign, it is written in Persian: "Reading in my mother tongue is my basic right." |
Graffiti in Iran: "Where is My Mother Tongue?"
A group of civil activists, this year, to mark International Mother Language Day, wrote graffiti in various cities, including Tabriz and Kalibar in East Azerbaijan. The graffiti included slogans such as "Education in the mother tongue is every human's fundamental right," "Where is my mother tongue?" "Life without a language is impossible," and "Happy Mother Language Day."
On Saturday, February 20, a group of Azerbaijani activists distributed books in Turkish in the cities of Urmia, Ardabil, and Meshginshahr in honor of International Mother Language Day.
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| In Tabriz, in protest against the deprivation of education in their mother tongue and referencing Article 15 of the Constitution, the walls were adorned with slogans such as "Where is my mother tongue?!" "Mother tongue is life, language is life," and "Article 15 of the Constitution?!" |
Prison Sentences for Observing International Mother Language Day
Many civil activists in Iran have been sentenced to long prison terms for holding events to celebrate International Mother Language Day.
On January 20, 2020, the 54th branch of the Tehran Court of Appeals sentenced Behnam Sheikhi, Akbar Azad, Alireza Farshi, and Hamid Monafi to a total of 8 years in prison and 8 years in exile. These individuals were arrested in 2013 for participating in a celebration for International Mother Language Day in Nasimshahr, Tehran, and are still serving their prison sentences.
Amir Amini was arrested by security forces during his street activities on International Mother Language Day in Tehran. In July 2019, he was sentenced by the 26th branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran to 9 years in prison. He is serving his sentence in Evin Prison.
Kianoush Aslani was also arrested by security forces in Tehran. The 36th branch of the Tehran Court of Appeals sentenced him to five years in prison. He is also serving his sentence in Evin Prison.
Fatemeh Tamimi and Maryam Amiri were arrested by security forces on December 10, 2020, and transferred to an unknown location. According to an informed source, they had been collecting stories, lullabies, and songs in Arabic to record the oral history of villages.
Statement by the Coordination Council on International Mother Language Day
The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions issued a statement on Sunday, February 21, to mark International Mother Language Day, in which they emphasized the right to education in one's mother tongue.
The full Farsi text of this statement was also published in the mother tongues of various ethnic groups on the council's Telegram channel.
In the statement, the council emphasized that "respect for the mother tongue of all Iranian ethnicities is a prerequisite for cultural equality."