The Islamic Republic of Iran must immediately release the detained Azerbaijani activists and end systemic discrimination against Azerbaijani Turks and other ethnic minorities.

On July 24, 2021, the Security Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran arrested hundreds of Azerbaijani Turk activists in Tabriz. These arrests took place after Azerbaijani activists called the region’s population to show their solidarity with the Arab people of Khozestan and protest Tehran’s destructive and systemic discriminatory policies against the ethnic groups. 

Despite their large population, Turks in Iran are facing systematic ethnic discrimination.  Azerbaijani Turks’ language is prohibited in schools, courts, and governmental offices in Iran. Although the Azerbaijan region of Iran is rich in natural resources, Tehran transferres the resources to the central regions of Iran without any investment in the region and any benefit for the region’s population. Tehran deliberately designs policies to destroy the environment and ecosystem in the areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. According to experts, Lake Urmia is drying up due to the illicit policies of the government.  The salt left by the lake can lead to the migration of 15 million people. Similarly, the diversion of water resources from Khuzestan province to the central areas of Iran has led to the drying of Hawizeh Marshes, also known as Hur Al-Azim (The Great Marsh), and the lack of water for inhabitants of this region.