Araz News: Many South Azerbaijani civil rights activists are in jail

Iranian state suppresses south Azerbaijani right activists. Many South Azerbaijani civil rights activists are in jail in Iran, some sentenced to long term imprisonment, some under interrogation and some in uncertain situation. Most of them are tortured and kept in improper conditions. Usually family members of jailed activists who try to pursue the jailed activist’s case are mistreated by officials.

Following are only some of the South Azerbaijani right activists deprived of freedom by Iranian authorities:

–          Said Matinpour; Jouralist and human rights activist:

He was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment. He was charged of threatening the national security, a baseless charge which was protested by many international human rights organizations. He is serving the 5th year.

–          Latif Hassani, Ayat Mehralibeyglou, Mahmoud Fazli, Shahram Radmehr, Behboud Gholizade; members of central committee of New National Awaking Movement of South Azerbaijan:

They are the five members of central committee of New National Awaking Movement of South Azerbaijan. They applied to Iranian ministry of interior asking for official authorization to make their organization a legal party. Iranian officials did not give them the legal authorization (while it is a constitutional right) and instead tried and sentenced each one to 9 years in prison. They experienced brutal conditions and torture while interrogation which lasted months.

–          Hassan Hargoli Damirchi; musician and human rights activist:

He is trialed and sentenced to 6 months in prison due to his cultural activities and also because of taking part in help campaign to earthquake victims in Qaradagh region of South Azerbaijan.

–          Hossein Alizade; civil rights activist:

He was arrested in his office in Tabriz. He was tortured and beaten brutally during interrogation. He is sentenced to 1 year in prison. His family informs that they could not learn what his charge is exactly.

–          Abbas Lesani, Ebrahim Rashidi, Abbas Nazari, Saleh Mollaabbasi, Ebrahim Nouri, Akbar Abolzade, Behzad Abdi; human rights activists:

They were arrested during a raid by security forces to a gathering in City of Ahar in South Azerbaijan.  The gathering was hold to celebrate 21^st February the International Mother Tongue Day. More than one hundred people were arrested at the raid. Most of the detainees were released after 24 hours on bails between 20 million to 1 billion Rials (Iranian Currency) for pending trials. But the mentioned 7 people still are in jail. They are transferred to central prison of Tabriz, waiting for trial date.

–          Akbar Azad, Alireza Farshi, Esrafil Soltanian; Human rights activists:

They were arrested in Tehran during gathering to celebrate 21^st February the International Mother Tongue Day. The gathering was raided by security forces like others in other South Azerbaijani cities.

The mentioned 3 persons are in jail since 21^st February 2014.

–          Said Hosseini, Naser Abdollahi; right activists:

They were arrested in the same way in International Mother Tongue Day. Security forces raided their gathering in Pars Abad-e Moghan city. They were beaten hardly during the raid. Since that day the authorities refuse to give information about them to their families.

It should be mentioned the people mentioned above are only some of the detained South Azerbaijani right activists.