Azerbaijan Society of America demands urgent international pressure on Iran

All three were students of Tabriz University. Similar crimes were committed by the Iranian police in Urmiyye, Marand, Maraga and other towns of South Azerbaijan, where the residents took to the streets to protest against insulting comments in the newspaper of "IRAN" towards the entire Azeri nation.

Ethnic Azeris constitute third of Iran’s 68.6m population. The theocratic Iranian government neglects the rights of Azeris and other minorities. Azeris are deprived of basic human rights and freedoms, such as the right to study in mother language, freedom of speech, publishing, assembly. Prominent Azeri human rights activists are put in jail only for voicing the concern over the violation of the rights of minorities. Ethnic Azeris have always resisted to the fundamentalist regime in Tehran and have been traditionally pro-western. Recent polls show that the majority of Iranian citizens who do not support the country’s nuclear program live in the northern "ostans" of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Zanjan.

"Being both Americans and Azeris, we are concerned about Iran’s nuclear program and its suppression of the rights of Iranian Azeris," – said Tomris Azeri, the President of the Azerbaijan Society of America. "Time came to call international community to put pressure on Iran. Not only must Iran give up its nuclear intentions, it must start democratic reforms, which includes respect of basic human rights and the rights of national minorities. The recent bloodshed in South Azerbaijan shows that the current Iranian government indeed represents an axis-of-evil regime which is ready to massacre its own citizens, like Mr. Karimov did in Andijan."

The ASA calls the administration to intervene into the matter and bring the issue to the UN Security Council.

The Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA), established in 1957 in New Jersey, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing knowledge about Azerbaijan, the Azeri people, their culture and history as well as promoting ties in economic, cultural, and scientific spheres between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States. The ASA works with various organizations, associations, ethnic and religious groups to enhance intercultural understanding and to promote peace in the Caucasus.