Chohraganli Deported from Istanbul (updated)

On Saturday evening, a well-known Iranian dissident, one of the leaders of the national liberation movement of Azerbaijanis in Iran Mahmudali Chohraganli was deported from the Istanbul airport back to the U.S., on the plane he arrived from Washington.

Sources in Istanbul told Turan representatives of the Nationalist Action Party, who invited Chohraganli at their convention, arrived at the airport.

However, all their efforts to get permission for Chohraganli to enter Turkey were unsuccessful, and several hours of negotiations with the Turkish authorities did not help this.

Chohraganli and his son were sent back without explanation. -05B-

Chohraganli Invited to Ankara

The leader of the national liberation movement of South Azerbaijan Mahmud Chohraganli first time in six years, left for Turkey.

There, he was invited as guest of honor at the congress of the opposition party "National Action." The congress will be held on Sunday.

"I hope that this time I will not be deported from Turkey," Chohraganli told Turan before leaving Washington.

Since 2006, Mahmoud Chohraganli can not enter any Azerbaijan or Turkey, despite repeated efforts. Last week, he tried to get a visa at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, based on an invitation, but again was refused. Chohraganli hopes to legalize his visit to Turkey through the invitation from the leaders of the party in Ankara.

"They told me if I have an American passport, I can get a visa at the airport in Ankara, and there will be no problem," said Chohraganli.

According to him, at the Ankara airport, it will meet a lot of people with flags of Azerbaijan and portraits of Rasulzade and Elchibey.

"On Saturday at 17:10 on Turkish time I will arrive in Ankara," he said. On the question of possible meetings outside the Congress Chohraganli was evasive.

At the same time, he said that on his return to Washington he would renew efforts to address the issue of visiting Baku. "I really miss Baku and by all means, will go to the city in the near future," he said.

Recall that Baku and Ankara for years have not allowed Chohraganli to Azerbaijan and Turkey, at the request of Tehran. Chohraganli is one of the most prominent and active supporters of the independence of South Azerbaijan, and his speeches and statements are often the cause of complaints from Tehran that Baku and Ankara support the separatists. -25B-