Shirin Ebadi Criticizes Security and Judicial Treatment of Mother Tongue Teachers

Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and head of the Human Rights Defenders Center, in a message on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, regarded "linguistic and cultural diversity" as an "opportunity for the elevation" of Iran. In her Telegram channel, she stated that "Kurdish, Turkish, Balochi, Arabic, Mazandarani, Gilaki, etc. languages are assets of our country," adding: "However, the Islamic Republic has viewed speakers of these languages as a threat over the past decades." She pointed out that "children in these communities face discrimination in the monolingual educational system, and mother tongue teachers are subjected to security and judicial pressures," emphasizing that "such a policy is a manifestation of injustice." Ebadi congratulated this day, stating that "the effort to recognize plurality and diversity is everyone's duty." Meanwhile, the Iranian Writers Association, in a statement on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, wrote: "According to statistics, the highest dropout rates are observed among speakers of languages other than the official language." The statement continued: "The widespread and increasing wave of arrests among civil and cultural activists and mother tongue language advocates in the border provinces of the country indicates the hostile and reductionist view of the government towards civil and cultural activists in provinces where people speak languages other than the official language." The Iranian Writers Association condemned the violent and arbitrary arrests of Arab, Turkish, Baloch, and Kurdish citizens in recent months, stating that the issue of neglecting and violating the right to education in a language other than the official language signifies nothing but a blatant violation of the right to freedom of thought and expression, as well as a clear denial of cultural diversity in our unequal land. This professional body defending freedom of expression emphasized in its statement, while congratulating International Mother Language Day, that it opposes any form of discrimination and exclusion in the field of publishing and distribution of works in all existing languages and calls for the removal of any restrictions, discrimination, arrests, and illegal prosecutions concerning all civil, cultural activists, and advocates of mother tongue languages. February 21 (Esfand 2) has been designated by UNESCO as International Mother Language Day to promote linguistic and cultural diversity. International Mother Language Day was established in 1999 and has been celebrated annually with various programs at UNESCO centers in different countries since 2000. The main reason for the designation of International Mother Language Day dates back to the 1952 student protests for the recognition of Bengali as the second language of Pakistan, during which several demonstrators were killed. After Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan and at the request of this country, UNESCO first designated February 21 (Esfand 2) as International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999 (Aban 26, 1378).