Iranian Writers Association Calls for Legal Action Against Mother Tongue Activists to be Dropped

The Iranian Writers Association has called for the removal of any discrimination, detention, and legal action against activists in the field of mother tongue. On Friday, March 3, in a statement on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, the association condemned the widespread wave of arrests of activists in Iran's border provinces, stating that the detention of Arab, Turk, Baluch, and Kurdish citizens on the eve of this day is evidence of the Islamic Republic's 'hostile outlook' towards these activists. Human rights media have reported an increase in the detention and widespread repression of Arab, Baluch, Turk, and Kurdish citizens and activists over the past month. According to these reports, dozens have been arrested in various cities in Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Kurdistan. The Iran Human Rights Campaign stated that the Islamic Republic has intensified the repression of ethnic minorities. The Iranian Writers Association's statement emphasized that no language is in conflict with the country's official language, Persian, and stated: 'Ignoring and violating the education of languages other than the official language means a blatant violation of the right to freedom of thought and expression and an obvious denial of cultural diversity in our unequal land.' The Iranian Writers Association noted that 'linguistic oppression' has continued from the Pahlavi era to the present day, stating that this discrimination has hindered the education of students in border provinces. In this context, the Human Rights Commission of the East Azerbaijan Bar Association also issued a statement calling for the teaching of mother tongues in schools across the country. This commission, on Thursday, March 2, pointed out that according to the constitution, providing conditions for teaching in the mother tongue is the government's responsibility, urging Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, to take action by 'modeling successful countries' in this regard. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch stated that Iran must revoke the charges against Azerbaijani activists and release them. This comes as prison sentences for at least 20 Azerbaijani activists were recently upheld by the Tehran Court of Appeals. Human Rights Watch, in a statement on February 15, noted that these activists were sentenced by Aboulghasem Salavati to three to 14 years in prison, stating: 'This repression is an attempt to break civil society and prevent the demand for the fundamental rights of ethnic minorities.' According to the 2016 census, about 28 to 30 percent of the country's population lives in areas and cities where the majority of citizens speak a language other than Persian. International Mother Language Day was established by UNESCO in 1999 and later adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, with February 21 chosen for this day; on February 21, 1952, four students were killed in Bangladesh at the beginning of the movement to recognize Bengali as an official language.