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ADAPP Monthly Report

اضيف الخبر في يوم الثلاثاء ١٧ - نوفمبر - ٢٠٠٩ ١٢:٠٠ صباحاً.

The systematic violation of ethnic and human rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran continued throughout October. Azerbaijani demands for linguistic and national freedom are still denied by the government of Iran. Azerbaijanis are deprived of the right to freely organize cultural ceremonies in the Azerbaijani language. Security authorities and forces detain Azerbaijani activists arbitrarily and subject them to torture and other ill-treatment. People using Azerbaijani cultural symbols in ceremonies are threatened by security forces. Iranian courts sentence Azerbaijani human rights defenders to prison based on confessions obtained through torture. In most cases, the cause for arrest and the location of the detainees are not given. The activists are usually not allowed access to a lawyer or granted visits from their families. Moreover the Iranian government pursues its rapid development of mines in the region of Azerbaijan without regard for the health condition or safety of the miners or the environment. This has caused regional problems as well as the spread of various diseases.

مقالات متعلقة :

Azerbaijani Cultural Activists Detained for Participating in Memorial Ceremony

Nevid Meshakt, Madine Ghasemi, Aydin Taghipur, Mohammad Mohammadlu, and Javad Ramazan were arrested on October 23, 2009 in Tabriz and were released after three days.

The Azerbaijani activists were detained when attending an anniversary ceremony commemorating the death of the Azerbaijani activist, Gholamreza Amani; they were singing national songs and carrying placards written in Azerbaijani Turkish. Prior to this, security forces had threatened Amani's family against organizing any memorial service.

Previously Madine Ghasemi was detained on December 10, 2008 in Urmia, and released after 25 days of temporary detention. She was later tried and sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment.

Gholamreza Amani, Azerbaijani human rights defender and former political prisoner, died in a suspicious car accident along with his two brothers. Some Azerbaijani activists say that they were probably killed, alleging a state planned car accident.

Ali Hosseinnejad Asl is an Azerbaijani political prisoner who was arrested by intelligence officers on September 26, 2009 in Maku (in West Azerbaijan province) while enjoying his vacation from Maku Prison. The officers searched his house and took his personal computer, CDs, and items of his personal property. Local sources believe that he was detained following his distribution of CDs about the demonstrations following Iran’s last presidential elections.

The Azerbaijani Activist was transferred to the Urmia intelligence office after two weeks of interrogations. He is not allowed access to a lawyer or visits from his family. The authorities also refuse to give information to his family about the reasons for his detention.

Hosseinnejad was arrested in May 2007, and was charged with “propaganda against the regime” for inviting people to participate in demonstrations condemning a cartoon published in the state-run “Iran” newspaper that was offensive to many Azerbaijanis. For this he was sentenced to eight months of imprisonment.

It should be noted that after Iran’s last presidential elections, protests and demonstrations denouncing them as fraudulent continued for around two months.

Azerbaijani Activists Sentenced to Prison

In an illegal move, the Revolutionary Court of Khoy changed Ali Hosseinnejad’s sentence from a fine to prison time.

The new verdict was issued 18 months after the original verdict. According to the new one, the activist is charged with “propaganda against the regime” for Pan-Turkist activities in groups which are against the regime. As such he was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment.

Hosseingnejad was originally arrested in May 2006 during demonstrations against the offensive newspaper cartoon and was released after 27 days of temporary detention. He was later tried and sentenced to a 5 million rial ($5,000) fine, which has now been changed to 10 months of imprisonment.

According to Iranian law, judges are not allowed to change their previous verdict. Judges violating this law can be prosecuted.

Azerbaijani Cultural Activists Sent to Prison

Behruz Alizade, and Vadud Saadati, two Azerbaijani cultural activities in Ardebil, and Rahim Gholami, a local journalist of the same city, were arrested on October 28, 2009 and sent to Ardebil Prison to serve their one year jail term.

These activists were arrested on April 10, 2008 by Ardebil intelligence officers and were released on bail after 20 days. They were tortured with electric shocks to sensitive parts of the body, with long term sleep deprivation and were also physically beaten; their confessions were forced under torture and duress.

They were tried and sentenced to five years of imprisonment along with exile; however the court of appeals decreased the verdict to one year of imrisonment.

Azerbaijani Activists Released from Prison

Omid Shokri, an Azerbaijani journalist and student activist who was arrested on September 16, 2009, when returning home from Turkey to visit his family, was released on a bail of 300 million rials ($30,000) after 31 days of detention.

The authorities have released a statement claiming that he was detained for his connection with groups who operate against the regime, the latter claim based on his involvement in the publication of the “Sayan” student journal at Aedebl Payam-e Noor University. Other pieces of evidence held by the authority to be against him are his sending of phone messages in Azerbaijani Turkish and friendship with Pan-Turkist people. Shokri was not allowed access to a lawyer or visits from his family during his detainment.

Hasan Abdollahi (Umudoglu), a writer and Azerbaijani Turkish teacher in Tabriz, was arrested in his home on July 13, 2009. He was released on bail of 200 million rials ($20,000) to be tried at a later date.

He will be charged with “establishing illegal groups to damage national security”, and “propaganda against the regime” for having prepared and distributed CD's about Azerbaijani language and national rights.

Mahbub Budaghi, an Azerbaijani poet from Zarrin Abad (in Zanjan province) was released after 70 days of detention on a bail of 200 million rials ($20,000) to be tried later. He was arrested on August 17, 2009 by Zarrin Abad intelligence officers and transferred to the custody of the Tabriz intelligence office.

Budaghi was detained for allegedly establishing and participating in illegal groups aimed at overthrowing the regime. The charges are based on Budaghi's participation in the Babek Castle gathering in 2003, on his poems and also on confessions obtained through torture from another suspect in the case.

Security forces searched Budaghi's home, confiscating his notes and any handwritten documents. The Azerbaijani poet was not allowed access to a lawyer or visits from his family.

Hasan Ark and Ebrahim Dashti, Azerbaijani political activists, were released on bails of 300 and 500 million rials respectively from Tabriz prison. They were detained since September 21, 2009 by Tabriz intelligence office officers.

They were arrested for “propaganda against the regime,” “membership in groups intending to damage national security” and also for “movement against national security” because of an interview with “GUNAZTV” channel.

Iran Authorities Prevented Ceremonies for International Children's Day to be Celebrated in Azerbaijani Turkish

The Iranian government prevents Azerbaijanis from organizing cultural and national ceremonies. The organizers and participants in such ceremonies are usually detained, or badly treated. Recently the authorities have prevented Azerbaijanis from performing several national and cultural ceremonies such as International Mother Tongue Day, the Babak Castle gathering, and Sattar Khan Remembrance Day. Last month security forces also blocked the celebration of International Children's Day in Zanjan in the Azerbaijani language.

Security forces entered a ceremony in a kindergarten in Zanjan on October 9, 2009 and tore down the welcome and congratulations placards written in Azerbaijani Turkish. They ended the ceremony with threats to the kindergarten directors that they would close down the center. The security forces also arrested Telnaz Nemati, Davud KhodaKarami, and Batul Ghasemi who are members of the editorial board of the monthly journal,“Bayram,” published in Turkish and Persian. They were released after one day of detention.

Security forces prevented the kindergarten of performing the ceremony, but the similar ceremonies were performed in other kindergartens in Zanjan in Persian language and also support of authorities.

Restriction for Azerbaijani Publishers

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance authorities blocked Azerbaijani publishers from sending representatives to the National Book Fair in Urmia.

“Yaran” and ”Akhtar” from Tabriz and “Pinaz” from Zanjan are among those publishers who were prevented from presenting their books at the fair. The fair took place in Urmia and lasted one week.

Poisoning, Sterility , and Death Dangers for Miners of Agh Dere Mine in Takab

Mines and factories in the Azerbaijani region of Takab operate without regard for the health conditions or safety of their workers. This neglect has caused regional problems and the spread of different diseases.

Most of the factories in this region--in general belonging to firms with close ties to the Iranian Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution--employ people in the recent years for short periods of time (six months) with the possibility of extending the agreement at the manager’s discretion. Laborers who fall ill because of unsanitary or unsafe working conditions are dismissed without compensation. Doctors at the mines do not disclose the workers’ medical health reports.

Sajjad Ghanbari, a miner in Takab’s “Agh Dere” gold mine died from cyanide poison and from institutional neglect. Ghanbari worked in the gold mines for three years and for one year in a cyanide room. The Azerbaijani laborer suffered from digestive and psychological diseases caused by cyanide and mercury pollution for the last two years. According to labor laws he should have been able to retire, yet even his requests to change work positions within the mine were denied by the mine managers. Following his requests for transfer, he was moved from the gold room to the cyanide processing portion of the plant, which is more polluted still. The mine managers have been threatening other workers not to talk about Ghanbari’s death, and have tried to portray it as a suicide.

Behruz Yazdani, another miner from the Agh Dere gold mine, was dismissed after he was poisoned by cyanide in his work environment. A local physician suggested that he change his work place from the cyanide procession portion of the mine to somewhere else, but the manager of the “Puya Zarkaran” mine denied the request and dismissed this man instead.

Yazdani returned to the medical center in Takab to obtain his health report; the medical center there denies ever having his files.

In another event three Azerbaijani laborers in the Agh Dere mine (K. R., Y. M., and Gh. A.) who were working in the gold room for three years, have become sterile as a result of working in cyanide and mercury polluted environments. There suffer also from psychological trauma but their demand for their requests for justice have been ignored by mine officials.

According to the Agh Dere miners, there are no health measures taken in the mine by the mining companies; they prefer to use cyanide and mercury for the extraction of gold since the method is cheaper than using the safer methods available. The cyanide and mercury extraction processes present grave health risks for workers as well as serious environmental risks.

The miners are left faced with poisoning, sterility and dismissal from in the mine if they fall ill or complain. Moreover the firms have been dismissing workers in the winter without any compensation, forcing the miners to find a way to relocate to central regions to earn their living.

Execution and Stoning

Rahim Mohammadi had been sentenced to death and was executed on October 6, 2009. Neither his lawyer nor his family were informed of his execution. Rahim Mohammadi and his wife Kobra Babayi were charged with adultery and were sentenced to death and stoning, respectively.

According to their lawyer the verdicts were issued by the higher court and the execution was effected without his foreknowledge of it. Babayi will later be stoned.

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