Five Azerbaijani-Turk Activists Arrested by Security Forces

Security forces have apprehended five Azerbaijani-Turk activists in various locations, including Vadod Asadi and Saeed Minaie in Rasht, Ayaz Seyfkhah and Bagher Hajizadeh in Tabriz, and Kamal Nouri in Eslamshahr. These individuals have been transferred to undisclosed facilities.

Sources close to their families have informed HRANA that the agents employed violence during the arrest of these individuals.

Notably, Asadi and Minaie have a history of previous judicial confrontations related to their activism.

As of now, the reasons for their arrest, their current whereabouts, and the charges filed against them remain unknown.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publications of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) documented 324 cases of citizens being arrested by security forces for advocating ethnic rights.

Azerbaijani (Turk) Activist Saeed Minaie Arrested in Bonab

In a recent development, on August 7, 2023, Azerbaijani (Turk) activist Saeed Minaie was taken into custody by security forces in Bonab County, East Azerbaijan province.

Minaie was apprehended at his father’s rural abode within Bonab County. The precise grounds for his apprehension and current location remain undisclosed.

In 2022, the Department of Statistics of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented 225 instances of arrests pertaining to individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds, highlighting ongoing concerns about the protection of ethnic minorities rights in the country.