Some protesting residents of Qareh Qashlaq village in West Azerbaijan province released

The Azerbaijani Political Prisoners Defense Association (ADAP) announced on Saturday, January 13, that several residents of Qareh Qashlaq village were released, calling for the punishment of those responsible for shooting at the villagers and halting the construction of the Kaveh Soda factory. ADAP previously reported that residents of Qareh Qashlaq, located in the Salmas district of West Azerbaijan province, faced violent attacks from police and security forces during their peaceful gathering on Tuesday, January 10. These forces used "tear gas, batons, pellet guns, and colored bullets" in their assault. According to the report, during the protest against environmental pollution caused by the Kaveh Soda company, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), 70 villagers were arrested. ADAP published the names of 22 detainees, including elderly men and women. In its Saturday statement, ADAP quoted several residents of Qareh Qashlaq as saying that some detainees were released on Saturday, including Rahim Talebi (85), Gholam Haqiqat (80), Moharram Haqiqat (70), Qanbar Amani (70), Safar Raei (60), Hedayat Amjadi (60), Gholam Maleki (50), Morteza Tayari, Touhid Akbari along with his mother, Ahmad Parsa, Hashem Rezaei, Youssef Matlabi, Touhid Maleki, and Mehdi Maleki. Each of them was released on a bail of one billion tomans from Urmia prison, and judicial officials charged the environmentalist villagers with "rioting." Typically, the security and judicial apparatus of the Islamic Republic levies such charges against protesters and dissenters. ADAP reported that security personnel released women, including Sousan, Somayeh, and Elnaz Alipour, Saideh Ahmadi, Latifeh Molaei, Robab Alipour, Sousan Ghafari, and Sekineh Parsa, after news of threats by the head of the Salmas Intelligence Department to sexually assault detained women circulated. The statement noted that during the shooting at the villagers, several were injured, including Seyfollah Panahzadeh, who underwent surgery after being shot in the eye, with potential risk of vision loss. Additionally, Hossein Karimi was shot in the throat from close range, and doctors say removing the pellet is dangerous for him. The protest began when Kaveh Soda, affiliated with the IRGC, decided to establish a factory covering 450 hectares on the lands of Qareh Qashlaq village. The factory's purpose is to produce sodium carbonate for glass manufacturing. The villagers are concerned because Kaveh Soda's plan includes drilling deep wells and using their water for production, raising fears about water scarcity in the village and surrounding areas. Further investigations into a similar Kaveh Soda factory in Maragheh have shown alarming environmental pollution. In its statement, ADAP called for an immediate investigation to identify those responsible for ordering the shooting at participants in this peaceful environmental protest, including the governor, the provincial head, and the Minister of Interior. The Iranian government has been urged to compensate the victims from the village, accept legal responsibility for harm to citizens, and cease legal actions against environmental defenders. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic's radio and television in West Azerbaijan province reported on Saturday the opening of the new Kaveh Soda factory despite the environmental protests from the people of Qareh Qashlaq. ADAP stated that "given the alarming pollution from Kaveh Soda, the Iranian government is held accountable for neglecting environmental regulations and demands the immediate cessation of Kaveh Soda's activities in Maragheh, Salmas, and other affected provinces of Azerbaijan." ADAP also called on the United Nations, international human rights organizations, and environmental groups to "actively monitor the practices of the Islamic Republic and prevent harm to local communities." The association emphasized that the actions of the Islamic Republic, including "plundering resources and its role in environmental disasters such as Lake Urmia, pose a direct threat to the welfare and cultural identity of affected communities."