Seven South Azerbaijani Activists Sentenced
Araz News: A court in Ardabil province of South Azerbaijan (Northwestern Iran) sentenced seven Azerbaijani activists to jail and whip.
Reportedly the 101st branch of provincial criminal court of Ardabil convicted the seven activists each to 3 mounts in jail and 50 whips. The imprisonment penalty is to be served while the whip penalty will be suspended.
The eight Azerbaijani Turk activist’s names are Mahdi Osoul-al-dini, Khaleq Akbar Zadeh, Taghi Pour Eskandar, Ali Babayi, Morteza Parvin, Babak Javanshir and Nasrollah Vali Zadeh.
The activists are charged due to environmental protests burst throughout South Azerbaijan in 2011 because of the dramatically drying Lake of Urmia.
Lake Urmia, second largest salt lake in the world, in South Azerbaijan (north western Iran) has dried largely during the last years. Experts say billons tons of salt will destroy the human and wild life in region being spread by wind and millions will be forced to displace. Many blame Iranian government of carelessness against the major environmental disaster. Even some people accuse Iranian state to left the lake to be dried intentionally.
South Azerbaijan is a ethnically problematic region in Iran which Iran spends efforts to hold the nationalist tendency of region under control.
Azerbaijani Turks are second largest ethnic group in Iran with a slight difference after Persians.
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