OFFICIAL TEHRAN PUTS PRESSURE ON NATIONAL ACTIVISTS OF SOUTH AZERBAIJAN: LAW OBSERVER
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 29 2007
Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend D.Khatinoglu / The repressions are
observed to be intensified with regards to the national activists
of South Azerbaijan. "Official Tehran puts inhuman pressure on the
national activists of South Azerbaijan, arrests political activists
for long terms and punish them through lashing," said the Chairwoman
of the Association for Protection of South Azerbaijani Prisoners,
Iranian Law Observer, Fakhteh Zamaani.
According to the information by the Committee for Protection of
Prisoners, currently more than 20 outstanding national activists have
been arrested for long terms. The teacher of Tabriz University,
Mohammadali Heydari, was detained on 27 October. His place of
detention is unclear. Last week, lashing punishment (80 blows)
was applied to three prisoners in Iran’s city of Parsabad. Zamaani
reported by telephone from Toronto on 29 October that the Iranian
Government deprives the ethnic groups of their minimal rights.
"Azeri people who make up majority in Iran incur economic, political
and cultural pressure. They do not have schools in their Native
language and it is contrary to the law," she said. According to the
constitution of Iran, the ethnic peoples residing in Iran should
get education in their Native languages. The ethnic peoples include
Kurds, Turks, Arabs, Armenians and this law is followed only with
regards to the Armenians. According to unofficial data, nearly 35mln
Azerbaijanis reside in Iran. According to Zamaani, in addition to
arrests and lashing, the national activists of South Azerbaijan
in prisons incur pressures. "Sentencing Abbas Lisani to 30 months
imprisonment and lashing punishment (100 blows) is illegal. Lisani
incurred tortures in the prison. He was detained in the prison for
those accused of ‘drug sale’ and ‘intentional murdering’ and was not
allowed to meet with his relatives," Zamaani said. The wife of Lisani,
Ardabil national activist, reported to Trend that the Revolutionary
Court of Iran sentenced Lisani to 30 months imprisonment and lashing
punishment (100 blows) through accusing him of breaking the national
security. After 16 months imprisonment, two more criminal cases were
filed against him. According to Zamaani, the pressure on the families
of the activists was intensified as well.
"Several members of national activists’ families also incurred
tortures," she said.