Iran: Azeri Community

Question:   Do we have any information on the arrest of Azeri community activists in Iran?

Answer: We do not have any information on the arrest of Azeri community activists in Iran. The United States has been clear in calling on the Iranian regime to cease the systematic oppression of its citizens, respect the human rights of all Iranian people and to release those arrested and imprisoned for insisting on their universal rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly, worship and fair labor standards.

The regime has banned the teaching of Azeri language in schools, harassed Azeri activists and unjustly jailed Azeri citizens for advocating for cultural and linguistic rights. Iranian Azeris who organized peaceful protests after the publication of an offensive cartoon in May 2006 were beaten, harassed, and arrested.

We are deeply concerned by the regime's continuing repression of Iran's minority ethnic, including Azeris, Kurds, ethnic Arabs and others and religious minorities such as the Bahais. The regime's repression affects students, women, labor unions, journalists and academics.

The United States will continue to work with the international community through the United Nations, foreign governments, and international NGOs to focus attention on the Iranian regime's continued abuse of its own citizens and press for improvements in its dismal human rights record.

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