World Azerbaijanis Congress (WAC) has dedicated today’s meeting to the discussion of political situation in South Azerbaijan (North Iran.) The discussions focused on issues of cultural rights of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran and the problem of drying up of the Lake Urmia.
The head of the WAC, Sabir Rustamkhanly, said that the recent presidential elections in Iran will not have any effect on either the fate and position of the Azerbaijani population. This is confirmed by the pre-election speeches of Rouhani. The Iranian authorities continue to "solve" the national question through repression and arrests of civil society activists.
Regarding the fate of Lake Urmia, which affects the well-being of millions of people, Rustamkhanly said that 75% of the lake has dried up. International community should take measures to prevent this ecological disaster. He also told about the arrest of five leaders of the political party "New Movement of Awakening the South Azerbaijan", which were sentenced to nine years in prison.
Rustamkhanly called to increase political support from the Azerbaijani authorities for these leaders. In particular, he criticized the official Baku for indifference to this issue while discussing it in the United Nations.
Other speakers at the debate, noted the necessity of creating a Strategic Centre to study the issues on Southern Azerbaijan, and the Institute for the Karabakh issues.
Finally, it was proposed to hold a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Baku because of the pressure on activists in South Azerbaijan. -05C-
Politics
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
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This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
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The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
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