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WAC's appeal to Media, International Organisations and Fellow Azerbaijanis
Dear friends, fellow Azerbaijanis
On behalf of the World Azerbaijanis Congress I am obliged to draw your attention to the illegal crack down on papers in Azeri Turkic by Law Enforcement Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran in recent days. Iranian regime has stepped up pressure on intellectuals in order to restrict the freedom of expression even further and reinforce harsher censorship. Closure of "Shams-i-Tebriz" in Tebriz , arrest of it's editor and ransacking the offices of "Nevid-i-Azerbaijan" in Urmiya by unknown individuals of so-called pressure group are new developments in proving our points.
Unfortunately this is not the first time that the rights of over 30 million Southern Azerbaijani Turks are being violated and for sure it will not be the last either. As you are aware over 30 million Southern Azerbaijanis are deprived of the right to education in their mother tongue and there is not even a single school in Azeri Turkic. In the course of the last century Southern Azerbaijanis fought to restore their rights against imperial forces of central government. ( Sattar Khan (1905-1912), Mehemmed Khiyabani (1920), Cefer Pisheveri (1944-1945), uprising of 18 February 1978 in Tebriz and Sherietmedari 1980). As a result of these uprisings some changes were made to the Iranian Constitutions but unfortunately neither Shah' regime nor Islamic Republic honoured their own constitutions.
Although hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis have died since 1979 revolution, after 23 years the articles 15 and 19 of Iranian Constitution which guarantee education of every nation in their own native language have not been practised.
Our nation is subjected to racism and discrimination constantly. Southern Azeri Intellectuals are being tortured and jailed for speaking their minds. Our historical homeland has been divided into scores of provinces or municipalities and put under control of other nations. Our historical monuments are being destroyed. Our culture has been banned. Our language has been forbidden. Our civilisation is being ridiculed. In one sentence assimilation of Azerbaijanis into Iranian society is the official policy of Islamic republic of Iran.
Islamic Republic proved to be standard bearer of previous regime with regard to it's anti Azerbaijani policy. One can confidently claim that discrimination and racism against Azerbaijanis under new regime has even become worse.
Iranian Government allocates billions of dollars of Southern Azerbaijani taxpayers funds to promote Persian culture and language each year, not even a cent is being spent on education in their own mother tongue. Even if somebody publishes an independent paper out of his own pocket, he will face so many obstacles. Intellectuals and publishers of Independent papers are being subjected to constant harassment, arrest and closure by law enforcement Forces or the so-called pressure groups break into their offices and destroy their equipment. Yet they are claiming to be civilised and calling for dialogue between civilisations!!!
Board of Directors of the World Azerbaijani Congress urges you to condemn closure of "Sheme-Tebriz" and attack on the offices of "Nevid-Azerbaijan).
Chairman of the World Azerbaijani Congress
Dr. Javad Derekhti
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