19 European MPs issue statement on increased pressures on Iranian Azerbaijanis

As APA reports, the statement calls on the Iranian government to immediately and unconditionally release all the detained Azerbaijani political prisoners.

"According to the UN calculations, there are 30 million Azerbaijanis in Iran who constitute 40 percent of the Iranian population," the statement reads.

The European parliamentarians stress in the statement that Iranian Azerbaijanis though constitute greater part of the population, suffer systematic assimilation and are deprived of fundamental human rights.

The document also reads about one-century lasting pressures on Azerbaijanis have recently sparked massive demonstrations in a number of Azerbaijani cities of Iran, including Tabriz, Urmiya, Nagadeh, Khoy, Zanjan and Ardabil. However, the Iranian government suppressed the demonstrators killing tens, injuring hundreds and arresting thousands of demonstrators.

The statement also underlines the detained Azerbaijani demonstrators are held in hard conditions, face the danger of torture and execution. The European parliament members stress the lives of the detainees, who are going on hunger strike protesting the illegal arrests, are in danger.

The parliamentarians expressed concern over the health of the detainees, and urged the Iranian government to make public the whereabouts of the detainees, provide them with opportunity to meet with their families and their lawyers as well as provide their access to medical aid.

The statement is addressed to Iranian President, parliament, government members and Iranian Embassies in Europe.