Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, December 18, 2024
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| The Identity Card of the Islamic Republic of Iran |
In Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran, many families have been unable to obtain birth certificates for their children with the Turkish names they have chosen, even after months or even years.
According to information obtained by Voice of America from Turkish language rights defenders, while some families are trying to make their voices heard through social media because they are unable to obtain a birth certificate for their children with a Turkish name, many families prefer not to publicize the issue, hoping for a resolution through further applications to various authorities.
The Feyzullahnejad family, residents of Maku in the northern part of West Azerbaijan province, has been unable to get a birth certificate for their son, Çağrı Manas, who was born in July 2020. After more than four years of unsuccessful attempts with various state agencies, the family has shared their situation on social media.
In a video shared by the Instagram account Dan Dergisi, the child’s father, Sadıq Feyzullahnejad, talks about the difficulties they face in accessing healthcare and other services for their child who does not have a birth certificate.
“Our son was born on July 25, 2020, and we chose the name Çağrı Manas for him... I went to the Maku registration office to get an identity card for our child, but they rejected us. Then, I applied to the registration office in Tehran, the capital. After one or two applications, they told us to go and wait for a commission to be formed and that we would get a response. In the end, they rejected us. I called them to ask what the situation would be for this child, and they told me to go to court. So, I have applied to the court; let's see what happens. But for now, our child does not have an identity,” Sadıq Feyzullahnejad stated.
The child's father emphasized that they have had to overcome many obstacles even for the most basic rights.
He said, “Just think, our child has been vaccinated, has healthcare services. How can a person without an identity survive? Imagine that a nation of 35 to 40 million people has to go through countless obstacles even for the most basic matters. They have everything for themselves, but when it comes to us, we get nothing. They want to choose a name for our child too. There is no basis for this. They say it's not an Iranian name, or whatever, but these are all excuses. This is fascism. How can it be that 35 million people are denied the right to write and read? With this policy, how can you keep the Iranian nations together? There are Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Baluchis, Persians. But you are the ones who create division on these issues. You are stingy with the language that God gave us. You see yourselves above the law of God, God forgive you.”
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İran Azərbaycanında “Çağrı Manas” adlı uşağın 4 ildən artıqdır şəxsiyyət vəsiqəsi yoxdur