Azerbaijani rights activist has slammed the recent jailing lashing sentence for Iranian Azerbaijani activists detained over protests held amid Karabakh war last year.
Jaleh Tabrizi, director of The Human Rights Association of Azerbaijan (ARK) has said that recent lashing sentences for Iranian Azerbaijani activists are insulting the Azerbaijanis, VOA’s Azerbaijani service reported.
Speaking to VOA’s Azerbaijani Service about the recent arrests and imprisonment of Turkic activists, Tabrizli stated that this sentence is especially aimed at intimidating civil activists.
“At the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran mobilized its military forces to the border of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and then the prosecution of civil activists began. All these government activities are to generate fear and intimidation,” she said.
Reminding that some of the arrested activists are being tried in two revolutionary and criminal courts, she said:
“The Revolutionary Courts has existed for 43 years now, and in fact the trial is illegal. Activists are currently on trial in two courts – The Revolutionary Court and Criminal court so that if they are not convicted in one court, they will be convicted in another,” Tabrizi said.
ARK was recently awarded the title of “Advisor to the United Nations Economic and Social Council” (ECOSOC).
Dozens of Azerbaijani political, civil, and student activists were detained across Iran over pro-Azerbaijani protests last year. Most of them were given one-year prison sentences or suspended prison sentences. Iran in October sentenced twelve of its Azeri citizens to a total of 15 years in jail and 888 lashes for pro-Azerbaijani protests held during last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh war.
