South Azerbaijanis hold rally in Berlin to condemn racist Iranian regime UPDATED

South Azerbaijanis are holding a rally in Germany’s Berlin city, on May 20, timed to coincide with the next anniversary of the events of May 22, 2006, in Iran.

The protesters gathered on the Unter der Linden square with various slogans and flags of Azerbaijan and South Azerbaijan, Report informs.

They are chanting the slogan "Freedom, Justice, National Government".

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Today, May 20, a rally will be held in the German capital Berlin to mark the next anniversary of the events of May 22, 2006, in Iran.

One of the organizers of the rally, South Azerbaijani activist Saleh Kamrani, who lives in Sweden, told Report that preparations for the rally are underway.

He said the rally under the slogan "Freedom, Justice, National Government" would be the second such protest: "We had great success with the first protest organized in Brussels. With this action, we have opened a new page in the history of the national struggle against the fascist and racist Iranian regime. We believe that the Berlin action will also be successful and we will be able to convey our nation's justified demands to the world."

The rally will start at 14:00 local time on Unter der Linden Square in Berlin, according to Kamrani.

On May 12, 2006, Iranian authorities published in the official newspaper "Iran" an insulting cartoon, in which more than 35 million Azerbaijani Turks living in Iran were compared to insects. The cartoon sparked uproar in South Azerbaijan.

Security forces intervened in demonstrations in Tehran, Zanjan, Tabriz, Urmia, Ardebil, Akhara, Hamadan, Kaleibar, Mugan, Miyan, Maragha, Khoya, Salmas, Hiyava, Goshachai, Sulduz, and Marand. At least 30 people were killed and hundreds wounded as a result of the shelling of peaceful protesters, according to official figures.

Southern Azerbaijan activists say more than 5,000 protesters were arrested and tortured during the events, and some 200 people were killed or went missing. Every year Azerbaijanis and especially South Azerbaijan's acitivists around the world honour the memory of those who died on this historic day.