Azeri activist deported back to IranThe security forces in the Republic of Azerbaijan arrested an Iranian Azeri activist on Thursday 5 April and this morning (12 April) deported him back to Iran. In Tehran he was handed over to the security officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Hadi Seyyed-Javad Mousavi, a young Azeri political activist, had been living in Baku, the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan, since last year. He belongs to the Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement (SANAM), one of a number of Iranian Azeri movements attempting to establish Azeri autonomy (within Iran) or secession from Iran and the formation of a Greater Azerbaijan. The government of the Republic of Azerbaijan has previously deported some Iranian Azeri activists, although they were usually transferred to Turkey. Following independence and the foundation of the Republic of Azerbaijan government support was given to Iranian Azeri activists. These groups were even given direct support by the Azerbaijani government under Ayaz Mutalibov's presidency. When Heydar Aliev, who looked towards improving relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, came to power in 1993, Baku's backing for the Iranian Azeri groups declined. Since Ilham Aliev succeeded his father in 2003 relations with the IRI, especially economic relations, have improved. These groups no longer enjoy government support and have to rely of the help of various political parties and their press. During the past two years there have been many protests and clashes in Southern Azerbaijan, i.e., Iran's Azeri provinces in the north-west of the country. Azeri activists have therefore sought sanctuary in neighbouring and other regional countries. A number of the activists fleeing Iran have been deported by Syria, and now, by the Republic of Azerbaijan. Although we in no way support, or even condone, the nationalist policies of SANAM, we utterly condemn this act of collaboration by the Republic of Azerbaijan. This deportation is not only a tragedy for Mr Mousavi and his family, it is a tragedy for all national minorities struggling for their national rights within the IRI - a twenty-first century prison for many nationalities! The source of all oppression, national or otherwise, and exploitation is the stunted, deformed and doomed capitalist system in Iran. This system can - and will - be overthrown within the next few years by the unity of all of the oppressed and exploited masses of society - so long as they are led by the revolutionary proletariat. Razmik Marutyan |