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Alireza Farshi

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Alireza Farshi
Born (1978-10-17) 17 October 1978 (age 46)
Marand, East Azerbaijan, Iran
OccupationComputer engineer
Known forPolitical prisoner, human rights defender

Alireza Farshi is an Iranian Azerbaijani national cultural activist. He was arrested by Iranian security forces along with other national activists for attending the International Mother Language Day celebrations in Tehran on February 21, 2014.[1] He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison[2] and two years in exile in the city of Bagh-e Malek in Khuzestan province. Amnesty International has declared him a prisoner of conscience because there are no criminal elements in his activity, as well as because of the protection of human rights and the rights of the mother tongue and required his release with other organisations.[3] He is also the founder of the "Kəndimiz" (English: Our Village) Foundation, which collects and delivers books for children to various regions and villages in Iranian Azerbaijan.[4]

About

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Life and activities

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Alireza Farshi was born in 1979 in Dizaj Yekan village of Marand. His father died in the Iran-Iraq war.[5] He began his studies at Sharif University of Technology in 1998.[6][7] He studied computer engineering. He later received a master's degree from Tehran University. While studying at the university, he worked at the editorial office of "Yol" journal, published in Azerbaijani Turkish at Tehran University. After graduating, he lived in Tabriz for a year. He later began teaching at Azad University in Julfa.[8] In addition to his teaching activities, he established the “Our Village” Foundation, which collects and delivers books for children to various regions and villages in Iranian Azerbaijan.[9] He personally participated in the delivery of books.[10] During the years of its activity, “Our Village” Foundation has donated thousands of books to children living in dozens of settlements.[11][12][13][14]

Arrest and subsequent activities

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He was arrested in May 2009 with his wife, Sima Didar,[15] during a protest in El Golu Square of Tabriz for education in mother tongue.[16][17] Although the court sentenced them to one year in prison, the second instance court reduced their detention to six months.[18] In 2010, he was fired from his teaching position at Azad University in Julfa.[18] After being transferred to Tabriz prison, he was temporarily released on bail. He was arrested again in 2011 and transferred to Tabriz prison.

In 2014, he was arrested along with Akbar Azad, Behnam Sheikh, Hamid Manafi Nadarli, Mahmud Ojagli, Rustam Kazimpur, Mansur Fathi and Aziz Farshi for attending the International Mother Language Day ceremony in Tehran.[19] He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison and two years in exile in Bagh Malik, Khuzestan Province.[20][21][22] Two months after their arrests, activists Akbar Azad and Alireza Farshi, who were being held in a prison in Tehran, were transferred to the stricter 305th corps.[23]

On September 22, 2021, Alireza Farshi announced that he would go on a three-day hunger strike to protest the cruel and unjust verdicts of judges in the courts of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the deprivation of Turkish people from education in mother tongue in schools. Later, political prisoner Abbas Lisani also joined the rally in support of Alireza Farshi.[24][25]

In November 2021, he wrote an open letter to court officials in connection with the deprivation of the right to leave. In his letter, he demanded that he be released on leave and treated outside the prison, explaining the severity of his illness, the need for eye surgery and his diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. He also criticized his imprisonment for attending a ceremony marking International Mother Language Day and for his work on the rights of the Turkish language and ethnicity under the law, noting that he was only given three days off during his 20-month imprisonment.[26]

On December 12, 2021, Alireza Farshi, who was serving a sentence in the Great Tehran Prison, began a three-day hunger strike. In an open letter from prison, he said the hunger strike was in protest of environmental pollution, including the drying up of Lake Urmia, the dumping of waste into the Araz River, the living conditions of workers and teachers, unemployment in Azerbaijan, and illegal pressure on Azerbaijani national activists.[27]

Protests against his arrest

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Amnesty International has declared him a prisoner of conscience and demanded his immediate release because he has no criminal record and defends human rights and mother tongue rights.[3]

In May 2021, the Erk-Azerbaijan Human Rights Society sent a letter to the UN entitled "Monitoring the situation of Azerbaijani cultural prisoners." In this letter, they expressed concern over the condition of Alireza Farshi. Alireza Farshi was diagnosed with diabetes during his imprisonment and his condition worsened due to lack of treatment. In addition, although his eyesight is impaired and his eyes need surgery, he has not got any chance for his treatment and surgery.[28]

On July 5, 2021, national cultural activists distributed leaflets in the streets of Tabriz demanding the release of political prisoner Alireza Farshi. Activists pasted posters and leaflets with the slogans "Alireza Farshi, man is doomed to freedom", "Happy birthday to the national hero of the Azerbaijani Turkic nation, Father Babek" on the walls in most parts of Tabriz and distributed them among the population. In addition, on July 5, a rally was held in Marand in support of Alireza Farshi and against injustice against him. National-cultural activists of the city of Marand distributed posters "Alireza Farshi's life is in danger", "Azerbaijani political prisoners are our red line" and hung a banner on the city bridge.[29][30]

On July 16, 2021, 18 human rights groups issued a joint statement in support of Alireza Farshi. In their statements, they noted that Alireza Farshi was subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in prison and did not receive the medical care she needed. They called on the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran to take the necessary steps to protect the life and health of Alireza Farshi and to provide him specialized medical care as needed. They also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Alireza Farshi, as well as the trial of those who made him illegal accusations and ill-treatment.[31][32]

In August 2021, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Javid Rahman, submitted his next report on human rights violations in Iran to the UN General Assembly. He said in a 25-page report that Turkish civil society activists such as Abbas Lisani and Alireza Farshi in Iran Azerbaijan had been targeted for defending minority rights, and that Alireza Farshi had been physically abused and ill-treated in prison.[33]

In October 2021, national cultural activists hung banners in the streets of Tabriz with the slogans "Freedom", "Alirza Farshi", "Man is doomed to freedom", "Give me your hand, expelled from the fly, I'm burning with longing - I've been lying in the dark for 43 years."[34][35]

References

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  1. ^ "Non-Persian Mother Languages Treated as "National Security Threat" in Iran". iranhumanrights.org. February 26, 2021. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  2. ^ "Caught in a web of repression: Iran's human rights defenders under attack". Amnesty International. September 29, 2017. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Iran: Defender beaten and denied health care: Alireza Farshi". Amnesty International. July 20, 2021. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  4. ^ "Güneydə 'Kəndimiz Vəqfi' hər ay bir kəndə türkcə kitablar hədiyyə edir" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. June 6, 2018. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ali Məhkəmə Əlirəza Fərşinin işinə yenidən baxılması tələbini rədd etdi" (in Azerbaijani). iranwire.com. August 6, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "Əlirza Fərşi ilə görüş; güneyli milli-mədəni fəalın qısa bioqrafiyası" (in Azerbaijani). sozcu.az. February 8, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  7. ^ GünAz TV (February 20, 2021). "Əlirza Fərşi haqqında" (in Azerbaijani). YouTube. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "Əlirza Fərşi universitetdən uzaqlaşdırıldı" (in Azerbaijani). GünAz TV. September 24, 2010. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  9. ^ "İranda fəallara qarşı amansız münasibət" (in Azerbaijani). aznews.tv. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  10. ^ "Əlirza Fərşinin hansı ittiham üzrə saxlandığı barədə yayılan xəbərlər təkzib edilir / Təhlükəsizlik qüvvələri fəala qarşı kobud davranıb" (in Azerbaijani). gamac.info. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  11. ^ ""Kəndimiz Vəqfi" Mərənd kəndlərinə yüzlərcə türkcə kitab bağışlayıb" (in Azerbaijani). GünAz TV. June 12, 2018. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "Ərdəbildə "hər uşağa türkcə bir kitab" kampaniyası" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. September 25, 2019. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  13. ^ "Güneydə 'Kəndimiz Vəqfi' hər ay bir kəndə türkcə kitablar hədiyyə edir" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  14. ^ "Urmiyada mədəni fəallar məktəblərin açılışı ərəfəsində türkcə kitablar paylayır" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. September 16, 2021. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  15. ^ Bijan Baharan (2010). The Hidden Side of Iran: Discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities (PDF). Paris: International Federation for Human Rights. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-02-08.
  16. ^ Khadija Ismayilova (May 22, 2009). "Təbrizdə dövlət bayramında etirazlar" (in Azerbaijani). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  17. ^ "Təbrizdə qan töküldü" (in Azerbaijani). musavat.com. May 23, 2009. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Insafali Hidayat (October 17, 2010). "İran azərbaycanlı fəal Əlirza Fərşi üniversitet müəllimliyindən azad edilib" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "Tehranda həbsdə olan türk fəalların durumu ağırdır" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. 2014-04-14. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  20. ^ "2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Iran". United States Department of State. 2018. Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  21. ^ "İranda 4 azərbaycanlı fəal 45 il həbs və 8 il sürgünə məhkum edildi" (in Azerbaijani). musavat.com. February 22, 2017. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  22. ^ "Beynəlxalq Ana Dili Günündə saxlanılan güney azərbaycanlı fəalların həbs qərarı icraya qoyulur" (in Azerbaijani). GünAz TV. March 18, 2020. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  23. ^ "Azərbaycanlı fəallar Evin zindanının daha sərt korpusuna köçürülüb" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. April 22, 2014. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  24. ^ Hamid Məlikoğlu (September 25, 2021). "Əlirza Fərşi və Abbas Lisani aclıq aksiyasına başlayıb" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  25. ^ "Two jailed Azeri rights activists begin hunger strike in Iran". middleeastmonitor.com. September 24, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  26. ^ Hamid Məlikoğlu (November 17, 2021). "Əlirza Fərşi məhkəməyə açıq məktub ünvanlayıb" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  27. ^ Hamid Məlikoğlu (December 12, 2021). "Əlirza Fərşi 3 günlük aclıq aksiyasına başlayıb" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  28. ^ "Azərbaycanlı siyasi məhbusla bağlı yenidən Birləşmiş millətlər təşkilatına müraciət edildi" (in Azerbaijani). aznews.tv. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  29. ^ "Milli fəallar Təbrizdə aksiya keçirdi: Əlirza Fərşiyə azadlıq tələb olunub" (in Azerbaijani). sozcu.az. July 6, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  30. ^ "Mərənddə azərbaycanlı siyasi məhbus Əlirza Fərşiyə dəstək məqsədilə böyük banner asıldı" (in Azerbaijani). gadtb.com. July 6, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  31. ^ "Press Release Regarding the Situation of Mr. Alireza Farshi, the imprisoned Azerbaijani Turks' Human and Civil Rights Activist in Iran". united4iran.org. July 16, 2021. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  32. ^ "18 insan haqları qrupundan Əlirza Fərşiyə dəstək bəyanatı" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. July 17, 2021. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  33. ^ "BMT-nin xüsusi məruzəçisi yeni hesabatında Abbas Lisani və Əlirza Fərşinin vəziyyətinə diqqət çəkib" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. August 23, 2021. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022..
  34. ^ "Təbrizdə türk dili fəalı Əlirza Fərşiyə dəstək aksiyası keçirilib" (in Azerbaijani). GünAz TV. October 14, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  35. ^ Hamid Malikoghlu (October 14, 2021). "Təbrizdə siyasi məhbus Əlirza Fərşinin azadlığı tələb edilib" (in Azerbaijani). Voice of America. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
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