Iran has sentenced twelve of its Azeri citizens to a total of 15 years in jail and to 888 lashes for pro-Azerbaijani protests held during last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Each of the activists was handed down 14 months and 32 days in jail in a court hearing held in Iran’s northern Ardabil city on October 11. The activists are charged with resisting police and breaching peace during unauthorized protests held in 2020. However, it is believed that the charges are politically-motivated and aimed at stifling pro-Azerbaijani activism in Iran that has a large population of Azeris who constitute one-third of the country’s population.
Pro-Azerbaijani protests swept through Iran’s Azeri-populated northern regions in October 2020 during the wake of the six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh war with Armenia. The protesters were criticizing Tehran of its perceived pro-Armenian stance during the war.
A total of 200 Azeris were detained during the October protests that called for Iran’s support for their northern brethren.
The ties between Baku and Tehran have historically been lukewarm with occasional eruption of political tension that is mainly centered around Azerbaijan’s allied ties with Israel and Iran’s friendly ties with Armenia. Iran’s large Azeri population has also served for the tension between the two countries as some circles in Tehran perceive them as a threat to Iran’s territorial integrity.
The diplomatic tension between Baku and Tehran escalated after last year’s war with Armenia that saw Azerbaijan regain control over most of its previously occupied territories. Azerbaijan also regained full control of its border with Iran that has a length of 700 km (430 miles). Today, Azerbaijan controls the slices of land through which the main Iranian-Armenian road passes. Iranian used to supply Armenia though trucks sent to Armenia and Azerbaijan’s Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh via this road. Azerbaijan in September detained two Iranian truck drivers who were transporting aid to Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh.
The tension between the two neighbors culminated with Iran starting war games on the border on October 1. Against the background of the war games, Iran accused Azerbaijan of overseeing Israel’s presence in the region, a claim that was personally denied by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
In the meantime, the Iranian government has stepped up pressure on its Azerbaijani population. Reports have circulated in social media that Iranian security forces are contacting Azerbaijani activists and warning them against getting involved in the tension between the two countries.
