IRAN RISES

Akbar Alami had been a member of an underground Islamic guerilla group. After the revolution, he was elected to the Sixth and Seventh Majlises. He then tried to run in the currently-contested elections, but was disqualified by the authorities. Although his website gives no indication of this, Azerbaijanists considered him an ally.
Now, as the crisis in Iran deepens, on June 16, twenty five plainclothes police stormed Akbar Alami’s residence and smashed it up pretty bad. According to his website, they were armed with truncheons and at least four were armed with pistols. The results of their handiwork can also be seen on his website. They even smashed up cars owned by the neighbors. He added that one blessing in disguise of this event was that the neighborhood could now understand what the people in the rest of the country were suffering–a rather stark indication that this kind of violence has yet to be visited on Tabriz.
(گرچه در اثر این حادثه ناگوار بنده و همسایگان دچار خسارت های مالی قابل توجهی شدیم و دهها زن و کودک بی گناه نیز به شدت هراسان و وحشت زده گشتند ،با این وجود جای خوشحالی است که بعضی از کارگزارن احمدی نژاد و جمعی از نمایندگان و مسئولان امر هم از نزدیک طعم وحشت و آنچه را که در برخی از نقاط کشور بر مردم کوچه و بازار روا داشته می شود ،با گوشت و پوست و استخوان خود لمس کردند و کم و بیش با یکی از شیوه های حمله ناجوانمردانه بعضی از گروههای موسوم به “لباس شخصی ها” به مردم و دانشجویان بی پناه آشنا گشتند! لذا جا دارد تا به بعضی از مسئولان امر که از وظایف و تعهدات شرعی و قانونی خود عدول می کنند پیشنهاد کنم که کلاهشان را قدری بالاتر بگذارند!)

Nima khan, thank you for this link. I’d overlooked it. Here’s my translation:

Azərbaycanlı jurnalist: “İranın azərbaycanlılar yaşayan vilayətlərində də etiraz aksiyaları olur”
Azerbaijani journalist:
“There are also protests in the Iranian provinces populated by Azerbaijanis.”
By Emil Quliyev
19/06/2009

İranda 12 iyun prezident seçkilərinin nəticələrinə qarşı etiraz aksiyalarında Mahmud Əhmədinejadın seçkilərdə qalib elan olunmasına qəzəblənənlər və Mir Hüseyn Musəvinin tərəfdarları iştirak edib.Cənab Musəvinin seçki kampaniyasının fəallarından Tehrandakı Etimadı Milli qəzetinin müxbiri Səid Purheydərin sözlərinə görə, seçkilərin münaqişələrə səbəb olan nəticəsi elan ediləndən sonra saxtakarlığa yol verildiyinə inanan Musəvi tərəfdarları və başqaları nümayişlərəbaşladılar.
In the protests against the results of the June 12 Iranian presidential elections, in which Mahmud Ahmadinejad was allegedly fraudulently elected, protests in which Mir Hosein Musavi’s supporters participated, according to one of the active supporters of Mr. Musavi’s election campaign, the Tehran E`temad-e Melli journal’s reporter Said Purheidar, as a result of the electoral contest being considered fake by the supporters of Musavi and others, they began to demonstrate.

Cənab Purheydərin sözlərinə görə, bu hadisədən 2-3 gün sonra Mir Hüseyn Musəvi tərəfdarlarını sakitliyə və dinc nümayişlərə çağırdı. O deyir ki, Tehranda milyonlarla insanın aksiyalara qoşulmasının şahidi oluruq. Musəvinin seçki kampaniyasının fəalı iyunun 18-də keçirilən nümayişi İran tarixində görünməmiş bir aksiya kimi qiymətləndirir.
According to Mr. Purheidar, two or three days after this event, Mir Hosein Musavi’s supporters called for silent and peaceful processions. He said that he witnessed a million people participating in the action. The June 18 demonstration by Musavi’s election campaign will go down in Iranian history as an unparalleled action.

Səid Purheydərin sözlərinə görə, insanlar ümidvardı ki, hakimiyyət toplaşan insanları görüb, xalqın iradəsi və istəyini nəzərə alacaq, seçkilərin nəticələrini ləğv edərək, azad və ədalətli şəkildə yenidən seçki keçirəcək. O, Tehran əhalisinin əksəriyyətinin seçkilərin saxtalaşdırıldığına inandığının bildirir. “Bu insanlar seçkilərin doğru nəticələrini görməyincə nümayişləri davam etdirəcək”-deyə o bildirir.
According to Said Purheidar, the people hoped that the the government would see the rallying people and consider the popular will and void the electoral results and hold free and fair elections. He believes that a majority of the people of Tehran consider the elections fraudulent. “As long as the people do not consider the elections fair, they will continue the elections,” he said.

İranda nümayişlərin təşkilatçılığından danışan cənab Purheydər bütün telekommunikasiya vasitələrinə qadağalar qoyulduğunu, telefon və mesaj sisteminin kəsildiyini, qəzetlərə senzura tətbiq olunduğunu, bəzi qəzetlərin səhifələrinin hətta boş çıxdığını vurğulayıb. O deyir ki, ölkədə İnternetin sürəti zəiflədilib, veb saytlara filterlər yerləşdirilib. Səid PurHeydər deyir ki, bütün bu məhdudiyyətlərə baxmayaraq, etiraz aksiyalarının təşkili barədə məlumat dildən-dilə və yaxud öncəki gün keçirilmiş nümayişlər zamanı elan edilməklə yayılır. Etimadı Melli qəzetinin müxbiri bildirir ki, Tehranla yanaşı İranın azərbaycanlılar yaşayan Təbriz, Urmiyə kimi şəhərlərində də nümayişlər qeydə alınıb: “Urmiyadan alının son məlumatlar yaxşı xəbərlər deyil. Eşitmişəm ki, soydaşlarımız şəhid olub. Bu xəbəri nə təsdiq, nə də təkzib edə bilirəm. Cənab Musəvi türk olduğuna görə, Təbriz, Urmiyə, Zəncan, Ərdəbil kimi şəhərlərdə o daha çox səs toplayıb. Seçkidən sonrakı etiraz aksiyaları zamanı isə çoxsaylı dostlarımızı həbs ediblər. Onların hamısı indi zindandadırlar”.
Speaking of the organization of the demonstrations in Iran, Mr. Purheidar reported that all telecommunications connections remain banned, telephone and message systems are cut, the journalis are censored so that some of them even publish empty pages. He continued that in this country, internet connections are weakened and web sites are filtered. Said Purhaidar said that despite all these limitations, news of the organization of the protest demonstrations are spread by word of mouth or announced during the previous demonstration. The E`temad-e Melli reporter stated that along with Iranians living in Tehran, Azerbaijanis living in cities like Tabriz and Urmia have also promised to hold demonstrations. “The latest news from Urmia is not good. I have heard that some of my neighbors have been killed. I don’t think this news is either confirmed or denied. Since Mr. Musavi is a Turk, he received many votes in cities like Tabriz, Urmia, Zanjan, Ardebil. In the protests occurring after the elections, many of my friends were imprisoned. All of them are still in prison.

Səid Purheydərin sözlərinə görə, insanlar istədiklərinə nail olana kimi mübarizələrini davam etdirəcəklər.
According to Said Purheidar, the people will continue their struggle until their their demands are met.

İsmayıl Cəvadi: “Urmiyədə etiraz aksiyaları iki gün davam edib”
Ismail Javidi: The Urmia protests demonstrations have continued for two days.

By Emil Quliyev
17/06/2009

İranın azərbaycanlılar yaşayan şəhərlərində də 12 iyun prezident seçkilərinin elan edilən nəticələrinə qarşı etiraz aksiyası keçirilib. Urmiyədə yaşayan azərbaycanlı jurnalist İsmayıl Cəvadinin sözlərinə görə, ilk iki gündə etiraz aksiyaları keçirilsə də, hazırda şəhərdə sakitlikdir. Buna səbəb isə polisin şəhəri ciddi nəzarətdə saxlamasıdır.

In the Iranian cities in which Azerbaijanis live, too, there have been protest demonstrations against the announced results of the election. According to Ismail Javadi, an Azerbaijani journalist who lives in Urmia, after two days of demonstrations, the city is quiet. The reason for this is that the city’s police have kept it under close supervision.

Here is an interview by Emil Quliyev of Ismail Javadi.

Here is a summary of the interview by my friend Nima. I have edited it a bit for style.

Q: How did Azerbaijanis generally participate in the elections, and how did they act during the elections and how did they react to the results in Urmia, after the official announcement of the results of the election, then and now?
A: After the announcement of the results of the elections, that Ahamadinejad was declared the elected president, many cities in Azerbaijan, just as some other cities from around Iran, such as Urmia, Zanjan, and Tabriz, witnessed the public reaction. In Urmia and Tabriz, the people were in the streets, and Musavi’s supporters’ slogans were for the nullification of the voting and the election results. Unfortunately, the mass civil protests and complaints were met harshly by the police and security forces. Despite the government’s declaration in all media that these were “illegal protests,” people went out to protest and took to the streets. Following harsh police reactions, there had been at least 30 arrested in Urmia and many injured and hurt.
Q: How about today, in Urmia?
A: Urmia is quiet and nothing to report, but yesterday (last night) Urmia students protested (in the university) and it is reported that in the confrontation between the police and students, glass was shattered; nothing happened in Urmia according to reports; it is “quiet” now; however, in the days ahead, widening and renewed protests are to take place, as was heard among the people. In Tabriz, where students had some severe clashes with the police, the police are in the streets.
Q: Mousavi supporters are due out tomorrow again; how about in Urmia? Are they getting ready to protest anew?
It appears that tomorrow, in Urmia, there will be a gathering in Imam Street; students and the general public are ready and willing to be out (and face the government forces); but it is not clear what the situation will be tomorrow. If it is anything like the past days, there will be more difficulties about the gatherings again.
Q: What is the local and official print media saying about these recent developments? Are they disseminating anything at all about these events?
A: Official papers and media indicate that 30 have been arrested; among journalists –many well-known journalists in Tehran– been arrested and are in jail. In other cities journalists of the local press were and are having major difficulties, and are unable to print/write/publish.
In Tehran, the journal Andishe-ye Now ["Yeni Fekr"], which is Mousavi’s paper, had a large picture/portrait of Mousavi and quotations from him indicating that he is willing to be among people in any way he can, tomorrow, to defend people’s voices.

Update June 25, 2009: A friendly Iranian Azerbaijani blogger has the following to say about the subject matter at hand: http://advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/farzin/. We thank him for his kind words about our blog.

Update June 25, 2009: The Twittersphere is all atwitter about a strike in the Tabriz bazaar. As usual, there is absolutely no proof that it ever happened. The Tabriz bazaar did close last October over a government-proposed value added tax.
Revisit this note for further updates.

Election Results, the Azerbaijan Movement, and the Tehran Protests

All of the candidates had to play to Azerbaijan and recognize its strength one way or another. The movement was able to place itself on the international stage in its protests against Khatami’s racist and insulting joke.

Karubi openly and Musavi indirectly posed a small fraction of the Azerbaijanis’ demands. But would they act on them?

Their thirty year record shows otherwise.

In particular, while Musavi was prime minister, he played a prominent role in crushing Ayatollah Shariatmadari’s opposition to the vilayat-e faqih and defense of Azerbaijani national rights. He was one of the few who departed from the solid front of Azerbaijanis and allied himself with Khomeini. He showed his anti-Azerbaijani views in the Expediency Council and his yes vote in eliminating the use of local languages in cases of national emergency. In addition, his taking support from Khatami shows his Persian chauvinist character.

As for the election protests, they are mainly in Tehran and by supporters of Musavi. There have been many arrests, despite intense international coverage.

Despite the feelings of many Azerbaijani activists that one must protest the electoral fraud, it is really a power struggle between Ahmadinejad and Musavi, two chauvinists.

As usual, Persian news boycotts reactions in Azerbaijan. English-language broadcasters are only interested in Tehran and Isfahan.

Under these circumstances, it is unforgivable for Azerbaijani activists to participate in this struggle, the outcome of which is bound up with the survival of the Islamic Republic, and for which the Azerbaijani movement will pay a heavy price. It is a struggle between a Turkish and a Persian pan-Iranist.

Wasn’t it under Khatami that the late Engineer Gholam Reza Amani was condemned to five years in prison? Wasnt the newspaper Shams-e Tabriz closed under Khatami? Didn’t the newspapers of his movement refuse to cover the attack on the Tabriz dormitories of 19 Tir on the grounds that separatists were at work? And there are a hundred other examples of why it is that if the reformists return to power, not a bit of the freedom the Persians have gotten will be given to the Azerbaijanis. It would be better that if we don’t have freedom, the Persians don’t, either, so that they are not able to use it to further assimilate the Azerbaijanis.

In addition, a lack of protests over the elections in the major cities of Azerbaijan will send a powerful message to the world’s power centers and Western analysts, that it is because of Mir Hosein Musavi’s Persian chauvinist tendencies that Azerbaijan was not prepared to join the democratic movement alongside Tehran.

Ahmadinejad’s reelection will mean, according the Khamenei’s statements to the moderate right, that the security atmosphere in society will remain in place and be put into Ahmadinejad’s hands.

It is worth saying that with the election of Ahmandinejad for four more years, there is a greater likelihood of an Israeli strike in the near future. In the case of a limited strike on nuclear installations, Iran will retaliate by striking American interests throughout the Middle East and America will be drawn into an unwanted war with Iran. This war will ultimately end in Iran’s military occupation by the US and hasten the Azerbaijani’s achievement of their national rights.

There is little likelihood of a “Velvet Revolution”, since neither Musavi nor Karubi are likely candidates for such, since they will inevitably capitulate to Khamenei’s demands.

Thus, activists must refrain from participating in thee protests, which are between two wings of the Persian chauvinists.

The article clearly reflects an extreme view, but it might, in a distorted way, reflect some of the realities on the ground. Unlike the 1978 events, where Tabriz took the front seat, Tabriz has apparently been quite this time around. It also cuts against the wisdom that Tabriz would automatically line up behind its native son candidate. Maybe they voted for him, but they don’t seem eager to pour into the streets for him.

The more mainstream Azerbaijani intellectual group, the Coordinating Committee of National Activists of Azerbaijan, in a manifesto published before the elections ranked the candidates on their declared level of interest in promoting the national and religious groups existing in Iran. Karubi rated highly, followed closely by Musavi. Rezai made some positive comments about the need to include the Sunnis, and recognized the importance of local languages in protecting the valuable cultural heritage of non-Persians (presumably). Ahmadinejad rated abysmally, in part because he had to run on his dismal record, and in part because he had nothing specific to say on the matter. Otherwise, it refrained from endorsing any of the candidates presented. It had originally planned to support Dr. Akbar A`lani, but he was disqualified by the authorities. The manifesto did note some excitement over the fact that an Azerbaijani was running.

The Tribun, which seeks to maintain a generally high intellectual level and which is published in Scandinavia, had littler or no concrete information that I could find.

Here is a translation, in full, of a document published in tribune.com:

A Very Important Manifest from Activists in the National Movement of Azerbaijan on the Recent Events

After the appearance of widespread popular unrest demanding justice and democracy throughout Iran and Azerbaijan’s relatively calm response, many people have wondered why Azerbaijan and Tabriz have been so quiet.
The answer is very brief and tells of the bitter experience of a great nation which for ten years has born the brand of scoundrels in its breast for decades: the nation of Azerbaijan and the people of Tabriz deeply distrust the policies of the center, and even sees itself as thoroughly victimized by the fascistic and dictatorial policies executed by them in every political, cultural, economic, social, legal, education, etc. field.
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years the governments ruling Iran, from monarchist to the vilayat-e faqih acted towards Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijanis like blood-thirsty bastards.
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years Azerbaijan, the most cultured and culturally creative part of Iran was subjected to the most despicable political and social humiliations and witnessed a flood of insults, from the premiership to the governors’ underlings living in Tehran.
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years when at various times, it was faced with the most violent and bloody massacres in Iran and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of its most distinguished and educated sons were subjected to the genocide of Azer 1325, the political executions of the Pahlavi era, the vast revolution of 1357, the bloody and horrifying Iran-Iraq war, the murder of political prisoners under the vilayat-e faqih, and the anti-apartheid uprising of 1385,while the rest not only did not offer condolences, but vilely considered them fitting for Azerbaijan!
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years the governments ruling Tehran, which were all admittedly based on centralist ideas and Persianizing, pinned medals for courage and skill on the chests on the merciless murderers of Azerbaijan and its shameless humiliaters, as if they considered murdering and insulting what Azerbaijan deserved!
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years, the regimes ruling Tehran systematically did whatever they could against the history, language, culture, and pride of the nation of Azerbaijan and burned its language in its people’s mouths!
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years an area of 300,000 square kilometers of it were sliced off under various pretexts and the historical and native names of its cities were changed and the two sacred names, “Azerbaijan” and “Turk”, which are the basis of our thousands years old character, for which we have sacrificed our lives to protect, have become a toy of the propaganda institutions, distorting and destroying us!
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years they have burned our economy to ashes and have made its people vagrants in the deserts of central Iran!
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years when they have, in a most vile fashion, taken the pick to its historical monuments and uprooted them!
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when through the past eighty eight years when measures have been taken to alter its demographics and historical geography and they have tried, using a thousand and one tricks, to have non-Turks living in the west and south east of Azerbaijan who were guests of our nation to become the hosts and recognize the Armenian occupiers of Qarabagh as masters of the house!
How could Azerbaijan not be distrustful, when after rallies of hundreds of thousands at the Babak Castle, the observations of the anniversary of the martyrdom of Sattar Khan and Baqer Khan and Zehtabi and Pishevari, the string of uprisings of the spring of 1385, the anniversary of the Khojali genocide, International Mother Tongue Day, etc., despite the fact that they have time and again imposed absolutism on Azerbaijan’s freedom-loving children and subjected them to the most intense tortures, yet if today someone in Persianestan were to ask why Azerbaijan and the Turks are quiet, there is no sympathy or concern to be seen!
Today, Azerbaijan asks why, when our homeland has been repeatedly massacred, or honor transgressed against, our property destroyed, our economy burned to ashes, our tongues cut out of our mouths, our children boiled alive, the disfigured bodies of our identity-seeking youths drawn out of the pool in Shah Goli, Tabriz, with their hands bound behind their backs, our children’s eyes blinded, the temples and chests of our youth in Solduz and Meshkinshahr and Urmia and Tabriz broken in by lead blows, etc., you were quiet and didn’t even answer our greeting!

Recognize our rights.
And now we turn to the Persian and Iranian intellectuals.
If you extended a long-suffering hand towards Azerbaijan, you would absolutely see nothing but valor from Azerbaijan.
But what an ugly hand and treacherous hand has been extended to the history-making nation of Azerbaijan, demanding that we rise up and help so that it might, with the utmost villainy, strike at the root of Azerbaijan.
All of Iran, and even the world, know that if Azerbaijan and Tabriz would not rise up, the scattered disturbances of today would not be turned into a revolution and the revolution would not end in victory.
Accept the fact of the existence of a Turkish nation and state it in the clearest terms possible.
Rest assured that Azerbaijan has never been silent and passive.
A rebellion is on its way.
It is a volcanic eruption whose shock will not only shake Iran, but can shake the Middle East as well.