ياشاسين آذربايجان - Long live Azerbaijan

.

Please find enclosed Communication 1 for safeguarding human rights of Mr. Elirza FERSHI Dizej Yeken, a Southern Azerbaijani cultural activist, who has been deprived of his liberty by Iranian authorities since 22 May 2009. He is a university lecturer and Information Technology specialist.

No.: 517/2009
Date: 5 June 2009

The Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva

Please circulate this to Working Group on arbitrary detention; it is also of relevance to:
• Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges
• Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
• Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance
• The Independent Expert on Minority Issues, and

CC: Mr Dyke and Mrs. Harrison, Amnesty International, London
Also: Human Rights Watch and Human Rights Server
Mr. Elirza Fershi

A south Azerbaijani prisoner of conscience

Dear Sir/Madam,

COMMUNICATION 1: CAMPAIGNING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OF MR. FERSHI

Please find enclosed Communication 1 for safeguarding human rights of Mr. Elirza FERSHI Dizej Yeken, a Southern Azerbaijani cultural activist, who has been deprived of his liberty by Iranian authorities since 22 May 2009. He is a university lecturer and Information Technology specialist.

We would like to stress that in compiling this Communication, we have not consulted with Mr. Fershi family or his lawyer. This statement is necessary to manage the risk of reprisal by the Iranian authorities.

The general background for Mr. Fershi’s detention have been provided in our General Communication 4 (Ref 516/2009 on 3 June 2009) but the particular circumstances leading to the detention are detailed in Table 1 and outlined below. We build on our previous communications informing you on the May 2006 Mass Protests, which its anniversary is now marked every year on the 22nd of May. The event was triggered by a cartoon published in an official daily newspaper, implying an insult to the national integrity of the nation of Azerbaijan in Southern Azerbaijan. Normally the Iranian authorities resort to the suppression of the event but this year they went further by planning a carnival in Tebriz to commemorate the Iran-Iraq war. This could have two purposes of overshadowing the anniversary of the May 2006 Mass Protests and diffusing the ongoing wave of protests against yet another racial insult to the nation of Azerbaijan by Hojjet-ul-Islam Khatami, a former president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The cultural activists took part in this carnival and exercised their right to protest by producing placards demanding the right to education in mother language. The agents of the Iranian authorities did not tolerate this simple gesture and brutally arrested a number of Azerbaijani activists including Mr. Fershi.

Normally, Iranian security agents are shy creatures with the trait of ambushing their victims in back allays or private residences at midnights exercising their abusive power with a complete surprise. However, the act of victimising Mr. Fershi on 24 May 2009 took place in front of camera in daylight among his supportive folk, while security agents were decisively snatching him. The following link ([1] www.youtube.co…) provides a glimpse for the violation of his human rights by Iranian authorities and this is a rare scene. We recommend you to spare a minute to view the clip. Here Mr. Fershi cries his heart out with his lifelong dream words: “schools in Turkic.” The film clearly shows that he is physically exhausted by the strain created by the snatching agents but his heartfelt voice reflects the eruption of his inner world, which is symphonic to 30 million Southern Azerbaijanis. He is only asking for basic human rights yo his nation.

We would like to draw your attention to the pride of the human race evoked by the American astronaut Neil Armstrong on 20 July 1969 when uttered the words “one small step for a man one big step for mankind.” Is it not right that a similar human pride evoked today when Mr. Fershi utters the words of “education in mother language?” Both these individuals share with many vanguards the urge to advance frontlines for human culture. We think people like Mr. Fershi are at the frontline for enriching human values; we know that you appreciate that the nation of Azerbaijan in Southern Azerbaijan is shining at such a dark underworld of racism spearheaded by Iranian authorities; we were overwhelmed when you gave exposure on this subject to Mrs. Fakhteh Zamani in the Geneva Conference against Racism (20-24 April 2009). We thank you for your gesture then and we appeal for your immediate campaign now for restoring human rights of Mr. Fershi.

Thank you in advance for your campaign.

Yours faithfully,
Mr. Eli Tashkent
The Committee for the Defence of the Rights of World Azerbaijanis

* For detail please [2] click here

==========
Related posts to this topic

• ===> GENERAL COMMUNİCATİON 4: RACIAL INCITEMENTS IN IRAN AGAINST SOUTH AZERBAIJANIS
• ===> A seminar held in Stockholm in remembrance of 22 May uprising in Southern Azerbaijan (Photo)
• ===> Mohammad Khatami was shocked by protesters while giving speech to his followers (Video)
• ===> Students in Urmu: "No lefties, no rightis!, Ae are nationalists" (Video - Photo)
• ===> Khatami denied him involving in an insulting party, calling the video FAKE!
• ===> Students of Amir Kabir Uni. in Tehran protesting Khatami's insulting joke on Turks (Photo)
• ===> Mirhosein Musavi faces “Gray Wolves” protesters in Urmu city (Photo)
• ===> Protesters in Tabriz say: "No to Mirhosein Musavi, No to Fars apartheid" (Video)
• ===> Protesters arrested, pepper gas used against people in Tabriz (Video – Photo)
• ===> Paid supporters brought to Tabriz for Mirhosein Musavi (Photo – Video)
• ===> Protesters in Ankara demanded Iran to end invasion of Southern Azerbaijan (Photo)
• ===> Video footage from demonstration in Tehran University by Turk students
• ===> Former minister of Khatami’s cabinet faced a protest in Khoy (Photo)
• ===> Protest in Tehran University condemning insult over Turks and Islam prophet by ex-President Khatami (Photo)
• ===> Mass protest in Ankara and Istanbul condemning Iraian pressur on Southern Azerbaijan (Photo)
• ===> Students of Islamic Open University of Urmu protesting (Photo)
• ===> Protest in front of Mirhoseyn Musavi's campaign center (Video)
• ===> First video footage of yesterday’s demonstration in Tabriz
• ===> "Family walk" in Tabriz turned to nationalists march
• ===> Iranian reformists injured protesters in Tabriz (Video - Photo)
• ===> Iran council approves main presidential candidates, Akbar Alami did not pass!
• ===> Photos and resolution of peaceful demonstration in London against BBC