Below is an article published by gamoh.biz

The Iranian regime recently imprisoned five renowned South Azerbaijani human rights activists for the supposed crime of “working against the Iranian regime”. The five activists have been sentenced to nine years each and the decision was upheld by the court.

The Iranian regime fears South Azerbaijani activists especially in these times. Fans of the South Azerbaijani soccer team (Tractor Football Club) have raised posters writing “South Azerbaijan is Not Iran” in games played for the ‘Asia Cup’. The imprisonment of innocent human rights activists is a warning by the Iranian regime to South Azerbaijani Turks. This inhuman regime wants to put fear in to people’s eyes so that they would keep quiet and not protest the injustices; however the regime is only doing harm to itself and people are starting to separate themselves physically and ideologically away from the government at a higher and faster rate.

The protest meeting took place in front of the Iranian embassy past Saturday (11/5/2013), and many members of the South Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement (SANAM), along with members of SANAM’s Central Committee were present to show there resent to the injustices done to their fellow citizens.

Similar protest meetings will be held around the world to grab media attention towards the violations of human rights that the Iranian government commits every day. The world community needs to know of these injustices and for this to happen our people need more help from media. Media boycott of these events cannot be justified and it is aiding Iran’s pursuit to rule the majority with a stick in hand. SANAM wishes for an Iran in which its citizens can rule themselves, and not be ruled by force or oppression.