Monthly Report of Association for the Defense of
Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran – August 2010
The systematic
violations of Azerbaijanis human and ethnic rights in Iran continued through
August, 2010. Azerbaijani activists were sentenced to jail and tens of
activists are still in temporary detentions without access to a lawyer or visit
their family. The activists are subjected to tortures or other ill-treatments.
The judiciary authorities deny releasing the reason of detentions.
Azerbaijani
activist tortured during long-term temporary detentions
Akbar Azad, Alireza Abdollahi, Ayat Mehralibayglu, Hamide Farajzade, Zahra Farajzade, Hasan Rahimi, Shahram Radmehr, Mahmud Fazli, Bahman Nasirzade, Behbud Gholizade, Aydin Khajeyi, Yunes Soleymani, Naim Ahamadi Khiyavi,
Shokrollah Ghahramanifard,
Ahmad Aghayi, Latif Hadani and Heydar Karimi are Azerbaijani activists were detained through
series of detention which started in May 2010. The detainees are still held in
Tabriz Prison or intelligence office custody. Most of them are not allowed to
access a lawyer or visit their family. Reportedly they were tortured to give
untrue confessions.
Yunes Soleymani, student activist and former director of “Ildirim” student journal in Bu-Ali Sina
University has been tortured by electric shock in Tabriz intelligence office
during interrogations. He is suffering from heartaches after tortures.
According to Yusef Soleymani, Yunes Soleymani’s brother, he has
been tortures by giving electric shock and injecting some medicine. Soleymani has been transferred to Sepah
Hospital (an army hospital) and was there for three days after suffering from
heartaches resulted from tortures.
Reportedly Ayat Mehralibayglu has been
tortured as well. According to some families of detainees who were able to
visit them, Mehralibayglu’s voice has been heard when
shouting under tortures.
Mehralibayglu
was not allowed to contact with his family. His family requested the
authorities to let them visit him to be sure of his health but the judiciary
authorities denied their requests because of high security problems related to
their case.
Azerbaijani
activists sentenced to jail
Hasan Abdollahi Jahani (Umudoglu) an Azerbaijani Turkish teacher, Mahbub Budaghi, poet, Faraz Zehtab, student activist, Habib Avaride, Mohammadreza Hashemi, and Hossein Asiyabi were sentenced to
prison. According to the verdict issued by Tabriz Court Avaride
was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and other activists to six months of
jail term.
The activists
were arrested on May and Jun 2009 and were released after almost three months
of detention on bail to be tried later. They were charged with propaganda
against the regime based on their activities on moderating websites, publishing
articles, and calling people to demonstrations. Their trail was not public.
Azerbaijani
activists released on bail
Mohammad Tajeri and Jafar Yavari, who were arrested on August 1, 2010 during the
gathering of Tractor Football Club supporters by Tabriz security forces, were
released on bail of 100 million Rials ($10,000) after
12 days of detention. Previously, more than fifty people was released who were
related to the same case, but Darush Ebadpur, an azarbaijani poet, is
still in detention.
The
demonstration was organized by Tractor FC supporters against the official
support for the racist actions and slogans of a Tehran based football club
supports toward Azerbaijanis during a match between two clubs. The peaceful
demonstrations of Azerbaijanis were violently attacked by riot police forces.
Ebrahim Rashidi, a young journalist and political activist who was
arrested on Jun 14, 2010 by Ardebil intelligence officers was released after 57
days of temporary detention on bail of 500 million Rials
($50,000) to be tried later. He will be charged with propaganda against the
regime and also collaborating with opposition groups.
Rashid is a
writer in “Bayram” monthly journal and also a former
writer of closed down “Navid Azerbaijan” weekly. He
was arrested, detained and sentenced to prison several times through past
years. Amnesty International released two actions in defence
of activist on April 1, and May 1 2006 and Reporters without Border issued
another one on Jun 22, 2010 condemning his detentions.
Azerbaijani
activists were tried
The last
session of trail of Ramin Jabbari,
Hafez Sardarpur, and Nader Azizpur
Aghdam took place on August 8, 2010. The activists
were detained in Parsabad Moghan
for 11 days and were released on bail to be tried later. They are charged with
propaganda against the regime and also violating national security by
establishing classes to teach Azerbaijani Turkish, and publishing articles.
Sardarpur is
the founder and former director of Heydar Baba
Association (a student organization), Jabbari is a
journalist who is writing in “Yapraq”, “Neday-e Moghan”, and “Byram”, and Azizpur is a poet.
Azerbaijani
activists acquitted
Aydin Sardariniya and Ghader Noruzi, student activists and members of Arman Student Organization were acquitted in a trail in
Tabriz Court. They were going to be charged with violating public order and
violating national security.
Sardariniya
was arrested in a ceremony which was organized to welcome the released student
activists from Tabriz Prison after months of detention in October 2008, in
front of Tabriz University.
Noruzi
was called to the court following a publishing a special issue by Arman Student Organization in March 2010 about the role of
women in movements in Azerbaijan and entitled “Azerbaijani women”.
The
activists are members of Arman which was closed down
on April 26, 2010 by university authorities. Arman
was the only student organization that was active in introducing and analyzing
cultural, social and political problems of Azerbaijanis in Iran.
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