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| Seyyed Jafar Pishevari, Founder of the Azerbaijan National Government |
Seventy-nine years have passed since the Azerbaijan Democratic Party established the Azerbaijan National Government in Tabriz. Seyyed Jafar Pishevari served as the government's leader, founded on December 12, 1945 (21 Azar 1324 in the Hijri calendar).
While the 21st of Azar is commemorated in various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan as the anniversary of the establishment of the National Government, Iranian media and official Tehran present it as "the day Azerbaijan was liberated from separatist forces." Over the years, Iranian security forces have arrested numerous citizens and political activists for marking the anniversary of the National Government.
Advocates for Turkish language rights also recognize the 21st of Azar as “the day the Turkish language was formalized” and have organized traditional Turkish-language book distribution campaigns in various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan.
In recent days, posters and slogans commemorating the anniversary of the National Government have appeared in different regions of Iranian Azerbaijan, including in the hometown of the late Pishevari, Khalkhal.
During these days, Tehran’s media outlets have also been publishing content about the Azerbaijan National Government and its leader Seyyed Jafar Pishevari. On December 10, the semi-official Tasnim news agency released an 8-minute video about Pishevari’s political career, portraying him with labels such as “traitor,” “separatist,” and “a Soviet agent.”
The Azerbaijan National Government was overthrown in December 1946 following an attack by the Iranian army on Tabriz and other cities. After the government’s collapse, Turkish-language books published during its tenure were burned by the Iranian army. Activists have designated December 17 as “Book Day in South Azerbaijan” to mark the anniversary of this event.
Renowned surgeon Shapour Ansari, in an earlier interview with Voice of America, shared his memories of the burning of Turkish-language textbooks after the National Government’s fall:
“They said this language is bad, bring your books and burn them. I, too, am guilty. When the books were being burned, I participated as well. We brought our Turkish books and newspapers from home and burned them… I will never forget that event. I will never forgive anyone responsible for it,” said Mr. Ansari, who was in the third grade at the time.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, who visited Iranian Azerbaijan during those years, described the Iranian army’s attack on Azerbaijan in his book Strange Lands and Friendly People:
“The Iranian army returned to Azerbaijan with a roar. Soldiers pillaged and plundered indiscriminately, taking whatever they wanted… The Iranian army—the so-called liberation army—[in reality] was a savage occupation force. It left a brutal mark on the people. The villagers’ crops were burned, women and girls were raped. Homes were looted, livestock stolen. The army was out of control. Its mission was supposed to be liberation, but instead, it hunted down civilians, leaving behind death and destruction.”
In recent months, some politicians and media figures in Iran have criticized President Masoud Pezeshkian for meeting with Turkish activists and certain remarks he made, accusing him of being close to pan-Turkist groups. They have claimed his actions evoke comparisons to Seyyed Jafar Pishevari.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
“21 Azər” - Təbriz mərkəzli Azərbaycan Milli Hökumətinin yaradılmasının 79-cu ildönümü