South Azerbaijan is an occupied land,

South Azerbaijan is an occupied land,

As many nations in the last century gained their independence, Azerbaijan was deprived of the very right of self governance in the north by Russian occupation, namely Soviet Union, and in the south by Iranian-Persian regime of Pahlavies and then the Islamic terrorist government of Iran. Over 30 million South Azerbaijani Turks are living under heavy regime of occupation. All and every national and individual rights are undermined and diminished. As if Turks of South Azerbaijan are left with only two choices; to accept systematic Persification and become a second grade citizen in their own land under Persian masters, or face random arrests, tortures, exile or death.

South Azerbaijan as a land, and Turks as a people in Iran are under threat. In the last 100 years, South Azerbaijan has been divided to many provinces under different names, names of cities, villages, rivers, mountains, and areas are changed from original Turkish names to Persian. Deliberate neglect and destruction of the land has gone to the extent that the land is not productive, the Lake Urmu is dried up, and poverty and misery looms over the land.

The dire situation of the lakes and rivers in the land, and destruction of the infrastructure resulted in poverty in the economic, cultural, and other aspects of life in South Azerbaijan. This caused a massive migration of South Azerbaijani Turks to other areas of Iran, or to other countries in order to sustain a simple and normal course of life, yet adding to more assimilation.

Occupied South Azerbaijan, for the reasons mentioned above, has been a volatile region, with many uprisings and struggle against Iran-Persian control, and heavy handed oppression, massacres, and military solutions. Uprisings in 1920s, 1940s, 1980s, and recent “movement” is always treated with more harshness, and more suppression. At the present time there are hundreds of South Azerbaijani human right activists are kept illegally under arrest, thousands have their or their relatives house under surety, so they can not participate in any actions deemed harmful to the security of the regime. There are millions who left their home and living in self or government imposed exiles.

The mandatory education in Persian and prohibition of Turkish from education and media, in the last 100 year have produced many millions of South Azerbaijani Turks who have great identity crises built in their psych. Many Persianized Turks are in the positions of power in regional or in a greater level, acting as the gate keepers for the occupying Iranian forces. Some would be he mouthpieces of the regime, in denying the truth and facts in the prison of people called Iran. Iranian foreign minister in his recent trip to neighboring Turkey mentioned that; over 40 percent of Iran is Turkish. This was to appease the Turkish officials. Even the official documents by Iran would establish the fact that the majority of so called Iran is of a Turkish speaking and Turkish descent.

The fact that Persians are a minority and Turks are a majority in the country of Iran, did not and will not change the real necessity for the basic national and human rights of South Azerbaijani Turks to govern themselves, and enjoy the independence and freedom as their brethren in the Republic of Azerbaijan in the north or Turkey in the west.

South Azerbaijani Independence Party, (SAIP) officially established in 2004, is in struggle for national right of South Azerbaijan for independence. SAIP is the most active organization in exile, with strong affiliation with South Azerbaijanis under Iranian occupation, with offices and members in many countries in Europe, US, and Canada. Completely self sustained and member supported, SAIP has not enjoyed any assistance from any foreign source until now. While there is ever-increasing oppression against fellow Azerbaijanis in Iran, SAIP's limited actions in organizing protests and public events inside and outside South Azerbaijan is not sufficient.

Iran is the real source of instability in the region and world. This fact is admitted by many political institutions and leaders of the world. With the worst human right records among world countries, with the heavy militarization in nuclear and delivery mechanism, threatening the neighbors and world's peace, with the most elusive and cunning foreign policies, with the most barbaric, archaic and inhuman ideologies in the world, Yes, Iran is the threat to the world peace and stability. We would like to emphasize the fact that the most effective and practical way to reduce or eliminate this great threat is by understanding the importance of proximity of Turkey, the divided land of Azerbaijan, the republic of Azerbaijani in the north and occupied South Azerbaijan under Iran. The fact that South Azerbaijani is like a time bomb against Iranian occupation. There is a great accumulated dissent against Iran-Persian rule in South Azerbaijan, seen by millions in the street of Tabriz, Urmu, and other cites of South Azerbaijan, when they simply defy Iran, and declare that they are Turks. The banner which said “South Azerbaijan Is Not Iran” displayed in soccer matches by activists in English, was a clear message to the world, about the real situation in there.

We hope our friends of freedom and democracy in the world to hear our people's clear and loud message, and not to abandon us in the fight against occupation, oppression, and gross human rights violations of terrorist regime of Iran.

Oguz Turk

2014