Iranian regime lifts up sword against unarmed Azerbaijanis Protests on the other side of Araz River

The death of Mahsa Amini jailed by minority police for "inappropriate use of the hijab" has sparked massive protests across Iran, keeping the situation extremely tense for a week.

The official version is that the deceased had a heart attack, but human rights activists say she was hospitalised from the police station with a severe head injury. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told a news conference in New York that he had personally assured Amini's family that the incident would be thoroughly investigated, I24News reported.

Nevertheless, Washington imposed sanctions on the Iranian morality police, and Raisi immediately accused the West of double standards, recalling US police crimes and the deaths of female prisoners in Britain. In principle, no one doubted that Raisi's explanations and promises about the incident were aimed at the Iranian public and only in part at the international community, which has consistently criticised the policies of the Iranian authorities.

In any case, the first protests began at Amini's funeral in the city of Sekez in Kurdistan Province, and in seven days of demonstrations, clashes with law enforcers have already resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries.

The protests have swept across the country. The girl's death has provoked the citizens of Iran, but the reasons for such large-scale protests are actually much more than that. Take at least the situation in Southern Azerbaijan, where for years the mullah regime has brutally suppressed the national aspirations of ethnic Azerbaijanis. The local population is forbidden to study their native language, their education and other social rights are restricted, and activists are harassed in every possible way. Meanwhile, there are three provinces in this northwestern region of Iran - Ardabil, East, and West Azerbaijan. The province of Zanjan, although not an administrative part of Southern Azerbaijan, is considered its eastern border because of its predominantly Azerbaijani population.

It is well known that the human rights situation in Iran is not the best and is criticised by Iranians themselves, especially human rights defenders, activists, and non-governmental organisations, not to mention international structures - the UN General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Commission, etc. The Iranian government is almost constantly condemned for limiting the punishments prescribed by the country's constitution for crimes such as torture, rape and murder of political prisoners, the beating of dissidents, and so on. At the same time, Iran is one of the leaders in the world in the number of executions. That is why, along with economic sanctions, the country falls under US and Western sanctions. And it is noteworthy that ethnic Azerbaijanis, mainly activists, suffer most from offenses against citizens.

Here are some facts. According to the Telegram channel "Azad Iran", two young Azerbaijanis - Mehdi Musevi and Mehrdad Gurbani were killed, after the government forces opened fire on the protesters during the rally in the Iranian city of Zanjan on September 21. There have been varying numbers of people shot during the protests in recent days, but it has so far been confirmed that 23 people have been killed by regime forces. However, human rights organisations claim that the death toll may increase due to a large number of severely injured people.

It should be noted that back in 2019, Javaid Rehman, the organisation's expert and special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, stated at the UN General Assembly session that members of ethnic minorities in Iran face discrimination (especially in employment and education). He claimed that the national legislation does not provide adequate protection against discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, and they are subjected to political harassment, repression, and serious violations of human rights. The UN expert's report pointed out that there were at least 15 million (in reality up to 30 million - ed.) Azerbaijanis living in Iran and at least 82 people from this community had been sentenced to up to six years on charges of so-called threat to national security. For example, fans of the East Azerbaijan football club Traktor were arrested for chanting pro-Azerbaijani slogans during a match at the Sehend stadium in Tabriz. This fact has no legal ground; it is nothing but an infringement of civil rights and nationalist pressure, indicating lawlessness and arbitrariness against members of national minorities.

At the same time, Iranian special services periodically arrest activists of the national liberation movement of South Azerbaijan. And this violent policy has been pursued in Iran for many years. In 2008, this was the reason for the arrest of Azerbaijani students at the University of Tabriz. Even earlier, after the May 2006 events, anyone who demanded education in their native Azerbaijani language was persecuted in Tabriz. In the city of Maragha, several national liberation activists were then arrested. A court accused them of criticising the Iranian authorities, organising riots, spreading 'pan-Turkism', and threatening the territorial integrity of the country.

It should be recalled that the May 2006 events were triggered by a "cartoon" scandal that arose after the publication of the official newspaper "Iran", which mocked Azerbaijanis. The incident led to mass protests in Tabriz, and the protesters' main demand was for a public apology from the publication, the government's press organ. The protests then became so widespread that an apology had to be made on behalf of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Parliament Speaker Haddad Adil appeared on state television, praising Azeris for their patriotism, and at the same time hurried to accuse outside forces of instigating the riots. Iran, in general, periodically uses the "factor of third forces" and "outside interference" in the policies of the mullo-crats in such emergency situations, skillfully resorting to political manipulation.

In the same context, we can also recall the protests of Azerbaijanis in November 2015, which were caused by the unflattering representation of Azerbaijanis in a TV show broadcast on the state TV channel "Fitileh". In short, the infringement of national rights in Iran has become part of state policy, which is being implemented in that country with the consent of the authorities.

What caused the Iranian authorities' blatant hostility towards Azerbaijanis? Could it be the concern that millions of Azerbaijanis will take to the streets of Tehran, Tabriz, and Ardebil with placards and demands for independence on one of the worst days for Iran? It is very possible. And if this happens, it will be a fair action, because, for decades, the population of South Azerbaijan has been systematically pushed to this step by the very ruling regimes of Iran, constantly harassing the political and social Azerbaijani activists. We do not need to go far to find examples. In August of this year, the media reported that the security services had once again stepped up pressure on activists from the southern provinces.

According to Voice of America, many citizens were forced to report to the prosecutor's office and the East Azerbaijan Provincial Intelligence Directorate, and the activist brothers Mustafa and Ahmed Ashrafi Ligman were ordered to do so in Tabriz. They were charged with activities allegedly directed against the foundations of the Islamic Republic. Such a baseless verdict fully fits Tehran's anti-Azerbaijani policy.

It is known that the brothers were interrogated for 15 days, after which they were released on bail of 100 million tomans. In addition to them, Shahin Barzgari, Siyamek Farajzadeh, and other Azerbaijani public figures were summoned to the prosecutor's office.

According to HRA, which specialises in the protection of human rights, Iranian security forces broke down the door of Shahin Barzgari's house on July 13 this year, using violence against his brother and sister. Shahin himself was detained in late July but released on bail, and Siyamek Farajzadeh (Garadaghly) was arrested in connection with a march to the Babek fortress.

The list of atrocities against our brethren who have actually become victims of the biased policies of the Iranian mullocrats can be continued with many similar examples, but this does not change the point. The reality is that the policy of intimidation against Azerbaijani civilians is dictated by the relevant bodies at the top. It would be naïve to believe that the Iranian government is not aware of the lawlessness that is persistently practiced in the Azerbaijani environment.

In this regard, it is also appropriate to draw attention to social factors, in particular, the problem of Lake Urmia, which the Iranian authorities are obliged to solve, but do not do so. The Iranian government demonstratively turns a blind eye to the factual disappearance of this water reservoir highly needed for the population. The fact is that Lake Urmia is located in the northwest of Iran, at the administrative boundaries of the provinces of West and East Azerbaijan, which are mainly inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis. It is known that the largest lake in the Middle East is rapidly drying up, and this process has become irreversible almost due to the inaction of the Iranian authorities.

According to 2016 data, its territory has shrunk by 36 square kilometres, which threatens an ecological and water catastrophe. Yet the lake is a biosphere reserve and is included in the UNESCO nature protection list. So Urmia is one of the serious causes of discontent among the masses and justified grievances of Azerbaijanis, who take to the streets because the authorities ignore their troubles.

The accumulated problems, including those of a socio-economic nature, provoking poverty, unemployment, and uncontrolled inflation, have also become a serious cause of the current protests, which clearly indicate the unanimous dissatisfaction of millions of Iranians with the current governance model of Tehran's top leadership. Time will tell whether the Iranian authorities have the political will and necessary resources to minimise the problems plaguing the population. In the meantime, it is clear that the dangerous situation in Iran could become irreversible at any time.

In light of the events of recent years, I would also like to touch upon Iran's policy towards Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, it should be recognized that this policy is far from friendly. This is evidenced by the recent statements of Iranian General Bagheri, who recently in his speech at a military parade openly threatened Azerbaijan. The general stated that if the borders of the region are changed, "then they (the Azerbaijanis - Ed.) will not sit quietly".

We would like to remind General Bagheri that Azerbaijan is neither Lebanon nor Yemen, and we will not allow anybody to speak to us in a language of threats. This is first of all.

Secondly, the Iranian authorities must deal with their own problems before meddling in our internal affairs. Let them take a sober look at their country, which is seething with indignation, and people, who are more than squeamish about mullahs, and begin to change something in their policy.

Baku has always shown a balanced policy towards Tehran, which today apparently finds it difficult to hide its true, far from friendly, attitude towards our country. This was evident also from the recent meeting of the two "brothers" - Raisi and Pashinyan in the margins of the UN General Assembly. So no matter how much we would like to see Iran as a peaceful neighbor and ally, the reality is different. The reality is that independent and strong Azerbaijan, to put it mildly, irritates Iran, and this is the main reason for its support of Armenia.

However, there is something similar in these countries, in their common approaches. Both have pathologically anti-Azerbaijani attitudes. How could we forget that Tehran did not openly share our joy when Azerbaijan gained back Karabakh? Even during the Iron Fist operation, Azerbaijan faced far unfriendly behaviour from Iran, which supplied weapons and military equipment to Armenia through its territory.

Not to mention the cases of illegal trade of Iranians in Karabakh, and Tehran's threats regarding "red lines" in the issue of Armenia's territorial integrity, which Azerbaijan has never planned to violate. What about the ridiculous statements about Azerbaijan's "historical affiliation" to Iran?!

Nevertheless, Baku has always categorically rejected any attempts by some states to lure itself into the anti-Iranian camp. In response to Tehran's machinations, we did not pick fights but drew conclusions, and now we will react differently to the anti-Azerbaijani hysteria in the Islamic republic, the victims of which are so often our brothers in Southern Azerbaijan.