Jailed Iranian Azerbaijani activist along with eight other political prisoners have written an open letter in Grand Tehran prison, Abbas Lesani’s Instagram page reported.

Alireza Fershi, an Azerbaijani human rights activist and other eight political activists – Morteza Olangi, Mehran Delfan Azari, Hojjatollah Rafiei, Shahab Soltanian, Reza Salavati, Meysam Gholami, Akbar Farhadi, Hossein Qashqai- have published an open letter to protest the limitaion of their fundamental prisoner rights. They are also protesting their transfer to the 1st section of the 2nd type of the Grand Tehran Prison.

“We protest the administration of the 2nd section of the Grand Tehran Prison, headed by Mir Yousef, who transferred us to this ward as a punishment. By sending false reports, Mir Yousefi presents us as the perpetrators of the recent riots in Grand Tehran Prison and deprives us of our fundamental prisoner rights,” the letter sent on November 5 reads.

Farshi was sentenced to four years in prison term on charges of “propaganda against the Iran government” and “organizing a meeting in opposition to the Iran government” in late 2019. It should be noted that while in custody, Alireza Farshi received an injury in his eyes and was sent on a three-day medical leave from Grand Tehran Prison on May 7, 2020. However, the prison authorities refused to extend his leave despite a need for urgent eye surgery.

“We who signed this letter condemn the fraudulent, biased, and false reports of the prison authorities and call for an end to the torture carried out by these individuals. We also invite human rights organizations to visit the 1st section of the 2nd type of the Grand Tehran Prison and observe the painful situation there,” the letter concludes.

Alireza Fershi is serving a lengthy prison term in Iran and is an active advocate of wider usage of the Azerbaijani Turks language in that country.

He published a letter on October 11 announcing the start of a three-day hunger strike to protest against problems such as the lack of education in the Azerbaijani language, racial discrimination, and injustice against Iranian Azerbaijanis.

A court in Iran’s northern Tabriz city has acquitted 11 Azerbaijani activists who had participated in large-scale anti-government protests in summer.

Activists – Jabbar Rahdar, Hadi Afsari, Gholam Hossein Qarjeh Daghi, Pouya Khodaei, Shayan Taghavi, Yashar Kazemi, Aref Moradpour, Abolfazl Keramati, Hossein Yousefi, Olduz Ghasemi, and Monira Chaman Golzar – were acquitted on November 1 as the criminal charge brought againat them – “gathering that lead to disturbing public order and depriving people of business by participating in illegal gatherings” was dropped by the court ruling on November 1.

The activists held a protest on July 24 in Tabriz in support of anti-government demonstrations that were held on July 15 in Iran’s west eastern Khuzestan region. Following that rallies, the activists were detained by law-enforcers.

Previously, three Azerbaijani Turkic activists – Abolfazl Karamati, Yousef Salahshour, and Amir Sattari – were summoned to a court in Iran over anti-government protests held in summer. The activists had allegedly organized a large-scale protest in Tabriz city in July in support of anti-government protests in the Khuzestan region.

On July 15, people across dozens of towns and cities in Khuzestan province, which has a large ethnic Arab population, held protests for several nights to demand clean water supply in the region. The protests in Khuzestan and other provinces including Isfahan, Lorestan, Eastern Azerbaijan, Tehran, and Karaj were initially against the clean water shortage in the region but later were expanded to cover larger socio-economic issues such as poverty and environmental and racial problems.

According to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), six protesters were killed and at least 171 were arrested during violent protests in Khuzestan.

Iran has jailed another Azerbaijani activist over the anti-government protest held in drought-stricken Khuzestan region in summer.

Mohammad Moradi has been sentenced to three months in jail and 74 lashes on the charge of “disrupting public order by creating chaos and participating in illegal protest rallies” by 111 branches of Tabriz criminal court.

Another Azerbaijani activist who had participated in the same protest, Shahrooz Barzgar, has been fined 50,000,000 Rials (Over 1,000$) on the charge of “harming the police”. Shahrooz Barzgar has been cleared of charges of “harming the police” and “disrupting public order”.

Mohammad Moradi and Shahrooz Barzgar were arrested by the Iranian security forces in Tabriz on July 26, July 24, and were released from Tabriz Central Prison on July 31, August 11 on bail pending trial respectively.

On July 15, protests were held in dozens of towns and cities in Khuzestan province, which has a large ethnic Arab population. The protests in Khuzestan and other provinces including Isfahan, Lorestan, Eastern Azerbaijan (Tabriz), Tehran, and Karaj were initially against the clean water shortage in the region but later were expanded to cover larger socio-economic issues such as poverty and environmental and racial problems.

Protests were held in Iran’s Azerbaijani-populated northern regions in support of protests in Khuzestan.

According to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), six protesters were killed and at least 171 were arrested during violent protests in Khuzestan.