Diplomacy & Crisis News

Can AI strengthen Europe’s response to disinformation while safeguarding media freedom and trust?

 

Prominent South Azerbaijani dissident journalist Ahmad Obali discussed the pivotal importance of International Mother Language Day for the South Azerbaijani people.

International Mother Language Day, observed annually on February 21, promotes linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as multilingualism, to foster inclusive societies and preserve endangered languages. Initiated by Bangladesh and proclaimed by UNESCO in November 1999, the day emphasizes the importance of mother tongue preservation and education. Every nation and ethnic group that is suppressed culturally wants to celebrate International Mother Language Day on February 21st.  For South Azerbaijanis and other repressed ethnic groups in Iran, International Mother Language Day has great meaning and significance.

South Azerbaijani dissident journalist Ahmad Obali proclaimed, “Each ethnic group in Iran has their own language: Baloch, Turkmen, South Azerbaijanis, Ahwazi Arabs and Kurds. The fact that these languages are banned in schools and official communications in Iran, and none of these ethnic groups can even have a private school funded by themselves that teaches their language is a travesty. We celebrate Mother Language Day every year in South Azerbaijan, asking for the right to study in our mother tongue as it is written in Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution.”

However, Obali noted that it is a crime in Iran to demand to have the right to study and work in one’s mother tongue: “Iran is also the only known nation in the world that if people ask for the implementation of the constitution in regards to language, people can be arrested, tortured and jailed. I do not know of any other country where you can get arrested, tortured and given a long-prison sentence because one asked for the implementation of the country’s constitution. Although South Azerbaijanis make up one third of the population in Iran, there have been numerous protests asking for the implementation of the 15th article of the constitution. Most of the leaders have been arrested, such as Abbas Lesani, and been given years of jail time. Dr. Ali Reza Farshi, which is currently serving a long-term prison sentence in the South Azerbaijani city of Marand in the Islamic Republic of Iran, was arrested only for distributing children’s books in the Azerbaijani language.”

“Iran considers the right for non-Persians to learn their language in school as a national security threat and they claimed that the oppression of the non-Persian ethnic cultural rights is a service to national unity,” Obali noted, stressing that the oppression of ethnic languages has a long history in Iran. “When the old Reza Pahlavi was brought to power in 1925 due to British intervention, he declared Iran as a one-nation, one language and banned all non-Persian languages in official communications, schools, newspapers and so forth. When he was overthrown due to his sympathy for Hitler during World War II, his son Muhammed Reza Pahalivi was brought to power a little after and he continued the same oppressive policy until 1979. When he was deposed by Ayatollah Khomeini, there was a nation-wide belief that since Khomeini’s regime is Islamist, they would not be repressive on cultural and ethnic issues, but interestingly enough, not only did the Islamic Republic of Iran continue the same policy, but they have enforced it harder than Pahlavi.”

“Just a couple of years ago, the Iranian government passed a law that stated that the kindergarteners in non-Persian areas must pass a Farsi language exam before they start in any school,” Obali noted. “If they fail the exam, they would be sent to a special school that is set up for children with mental issues. This forced families in South Azerbaijan and other parts of the country to teach their children Farsi before they could learn their own mother tongue.”

Linguistic oppression also affects South Azerbaijanis in their dealings with the Iranian judiciary. According to Iran Human Rights, “Ethnic regions such as South Azerbaijan are overrepresented in the women’s death penalty cases.” Human Rights Watch also reported that ethnic minorities are disproportionately targeted for the death penalty in Iran, generally speaking.

The case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtaini is a case in point. Because of her lack of understanding of Farsi, she was sentenced to death for something that would not even be punishable in any court of law in any democratic society. If there was not an international uproar, she could have been executed. As Obali noted, “She could not understand the language of the court in Tabriz, which is 100 percent Azerbaijani populated city. She was charged with adultery, but she did not commit any crime. She just signed a paper not knowing that she was signing off on her own death sentence.”

According to Obali, “Most South Azerbaijanis today because of Iranian policy do not know how to write in their own language or officially communicate. When I was going to school before the 1979 Islamic takeover, I was beaten by the teacher and fined monetarily because I spoke with my classmates in my own language in the class. I was literally punished in a humiliating manner in front of the whole class, just for speaking in my mother tongue. They were forcing us not to speak our mother tongue in class, even though all of the students and the teacher himself were South Azerbaijani.  This was an official government made to all of the schools in Iran. Additionally, official instructions were given to mix Persian words with Azerbaijani language as much as possible, so even if it is spoken, it is almost like a different language for it is mixed so much.”

“100 years of essentially cultural suppression, persecution and oppression of the Azerbaijani language in Iran has resulted in many South Azerbaijanis to be assimilated into Persian culture and language,” Obali emphasized. “In other words, there is a cultural genocide going on against non-Persians in Iran, otherwise known as linguicide. This crime against humanity is overlooked, unfortunately, by most democratic nations in the West,” even though minority rights is highly respected in these countries domestically.

Obali noted that while the mullahs in Iran refer to Israel as the “little Satan” and have been calling for the destruction of Israel for 47 years, “Arabs in Israel can study in their own language and work in their own mother tongue. Arabic is one of the official languages of the State of Israel. All children in Israel, including Jewish children, study Arabic in school, as it is mandatory for all Israelis to have a basic understanding of such a significant minority language. On the Israeli trains and buses, signs are written in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The same for street signs.” Obali noted that South Azerbaijanis can only dream of their language getting the same respect from the Iranian authorities that Arabic receives in the State of Israel.

As a South Azerbaijani immigrant to the United States, Obali stated that he found American society to be more accepting of the Azerbaijani language than Iranian society: “Immigrants from South Azerbaijan to the United States can set up a special school to teach Azerbaijani language to their children.  There are Azerbaijani language courses in many colleges in America. We can set up radio, television and newspapers in Azerbaijani language as well, while all of this is forbidden in Iran. The only radio and television station in Azerbaijani language in Iran must use 60 percent non-Azerbaijani words, known among South Azerbaijanis as Farzari. We ask the free nations of the world to help ethnic minorities to save their mother language and culture.”

Events across the border – including the rise of Jamaat-e-Islami – are serving as political ammunition in the Indian state assembly race.

Currently, Austria has a mandatory military service of six months for all 17-year-old males

Australia has made its biggest Pacific sporting bet so far. Will it deliver results for both Australia and the Pacific Islands?

Ukraine’s top scorer wants football to be a natural choice for girls

Steelmakers want the same made-in-EU rules as plastic, cement and aluminium producers

Insights from Kristin Vekasi 

In Nusa Tenggara Timur, a 10-year-old boy’s suicide exposes the limits of income-based poverty metrics. Multidimensional data show that deprivation in Indonesia often clusters long before a family is officially classified as poor.

The fates of two prominent wolf warriors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qin Gang and Zhao Lijian – provide some insights.

Written questions from Renew Europe's Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle, seen by Euractiv, highlight US threats to end visa-free travel if the EU doesn't share citizens' data

As South Korea awaits a historic judgment on the 2024 martial law crisis, tomorrow’s ruling will determine the legal fate of the former leader and the stability of the nation's democracy.

Education in Australia not only underpins the foundations of national power, but contributes to its international reach, diplomatic links, trade relations, and security.

The document aims to be a “starting point,” before a proposed annual dialogue

The future of European industry and its role in strengthening the security of the European Union were the main topics of the third meeting of representatives of EU institutions, Member States and business, held in February in Antwerp. The meeting was organised ahead of the informal European Council meeting devoted to the competitiveness of the EU economy. The competitiveness of European industry will be discussed again in Brussels on 18 March 2026 during the next edition of the Competitiveness & Security Business Summit, the largest business summit organised by Business & Science Poland.

Washington is leveraging its power to intimidate countries that are trying to protect the planet.

Intervention comes comes ahead of testing year for EU carbon pricing

Digital minister Anne Le Hénanff put out a call on Wednesday for AI child safety researchers to send data

European countries such as Germany are beginning to look beyond the US for nuclear protection

Chris Wright hammers home anti-renewables message as he arrives at IEA's ministerial summit in Paris