Tehran^s Wedding Planners Vedud Asadi, an Azeri-Iranian minority rights activist, was recently arrested by Iranian authorities in Rasht. He was among hundreds of Azeri-Iranians who have been detained since May. While authorities have not announced the charges against him, human rights monitors believe Mr. Asadi^s arrest is in connection with his recent traditional Azeri wedding, one that was celebrated with Azeri colors, flags, folk songs, and dances.
Iran: Arbitrary Detention and Ill-Treatment of human rights defenders Hemid Valai, Sejjad Radmehr and Vedud Esedi Front Line is concerned following reports that human rights defenders Hemid Valai, Sejjad Radmehr and Vedud Esedi have been arbitrarily detained and subjected to ill-treatment and torture. Hemid Valai is a human rights lawyer. Hemid Valai, Sejjad Radmehr and Vedud Esedi are all activists working to promote the rights of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Iran.
Three Azeri Students Arrested In Iran The families of three Tabriz University students say they have not been able to get any information about their whereabouts or the reason for their arrest on July 17. Saccad Radmehr, Feraz Zehtab, and Aydin Xacei were arrested at the entrance to the university in northern Iran. None have been heard from since their arrest. Aydin Xacei^s brother Ramin told RFE/RL^s Azerbaijani Service that their home was searched immediately after the arrest. He said his brother was "kidnapped" by police who "did not show any document or order."
Traditional Azeri Wedding Leads To Groom^s Arrest In Iran Vedud Asadi is well-known for his work promoting the cultural and language rights of Iran^s Azeri minority, so it^s little surprise that he celebrated his wedding with a nod to his ethnic heritage. Guests sang folk songs and danced traditional dances -- but the flag may have been the icing on the cake for Iranian authorities who came to arrest him two weeks after the event, according to his sister, Sumayya Asadi.
School boy condemned 6 months imprisonment for insulting the Leader Moham Reza Avazpoor, a schoolboy has been charged with insulting the Leader and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment by the 118th branch of the penal Court.
Azeri-Iranians Arrested The human rights monitoring organization Amnesty International reports that hundreds of Azeri-Iranians have been arrested by Iranian authorities since May.
Two journalists get suspended jail terms for “publicity” against the government Reporters Without Borders condemns the suspended prison sentences that have been passed on journalists Said Matinpour and Yaghoub Salaki Nia in separate cases.
Fear for safety / Fear of torture and other ill-treatment / Possible prisoners of conscience - Azerbaijani cultural rights activists IRAN Hasan Asadi, (or Hesen Esedi) (m), aged 30 ] Ali Sadeqi (or, Eli Sediqi) (m), aged 35 ] Hojjat Tarverdian (m) aged 40 ] Akbar Hosseinzadeh (m), aged 34 ] Ahad Razavi (or, Ehed Rezevi), (m) aged 20 ] Azerbaijani cultural rights activists Amir Mohammad Bana’i Sadeq (m) ] And hundreds of others The men named above are among hundreds of people detained since 16 May. There have recently been widespread demonstrations marking the anniversary of demonstrations against the publication in May 2006 of a cartoon in a state-run newspaper, which was considered offensive to a great many Azerbaijanis. They are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Amir Mohammad Bana’i Sadeq and Ahad Razavi (also spelled as Ehed Rezevi) are said to have been tortured in recent days.
ADAPP Calls on Iranian Authorities to Respect the Freedom of Assembly as Azerbaijani Iranians Mark the Anniversary of the May, 2006 Demonstrations VANCOUVER, CANADA: At the anniversary of the May, 2006 demonstrations by Azerbaijani Iranians against the publication of a cartoon degrading and threatening them as an ethnic group, the Association for the Defence of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran (ADAPP) calls on Iranian authorities to be respectful of all citizens^ constitutional rights, to stop the arrest and torture of Azerbaijani activists and to release Azerbaijani prisoners of conscience. The Association also calls on human rights organizations and democratic countries to join them in pressuring Iran to respect the freedom of assembly.
AN OPEN LETTER TO : International Linguistics Center As a group of Iranian and Azerbaijani scholars and human rights activists, we the undersigned would like to express our deepest gratitude to you and all the individuals involved in publishing and maintaining Ethnologue, the most objective and scholarly body of knowledge on world languages.