Sep 30, 2014

CNFI Advocacy Visits in Brussels: Addressing Repression


A delegation from the Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran came to Brussels last week [22-24 September 2014] to meet with key Members of Parliament and European officials. The delegation consisted of Mr. Nasser Boladai, representative of the Balochistan People's Party, Mr. Karim Abdian, General Secretary of the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization, and Ayda Karimli, the spokesperson for the Southern Azerbaijani Alliance. Following the European Parliament election, the delegation took the opportunity to spread awareness of their situation, articulate the need for federalism in Iran and raise concerns about the worrying and rampant human rights violations in Iran.

With the new European Parliament settling in, the meetings proved beneficial in renewing old ties with sympathetic MEPs and European officials that CNFI representatives had met in the previous mandate, but also to new support and put the situation of minorities residing within Iran on the political and human rights agenda for the new committees and MEPs.

The focus of the latest round of meetings was to build on the progress made in previous visits and to turn sympathy and awareness into more meaningful and concrete action from the European institutions. It was made clear that Mr Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, is clearly not living up to his election promises. The repression of non-Persian nationalities has in fact escalated since he assumed office. The CNFI delegation stated that a federal democracy in Iran is the only real solution for peace, and that any other solution would lead to sectarianism, chaos and violence, similar to what Iraq is currently experiencing. 

Furthermore, the delegation highlighted the most pressing concerns and human rights violations present in their respective regions. The drying up of Lake Urmia remains the most urgent issue in Southern Azerbaijan with only 5% of the water in the lake remaining. Ms. Ayda Karimli made it clear that once the lake dries completely, salt storms will follow. This means that an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe is on the horizon, which will affect approximately 50 million people. Extra-judicial and revenge killings and enforced disappearances were shown to be widespread and endemic in Balochistan in particular, with their number increasing since Rouhani assumed office. The systemic discrimination in education and the inability for non-Persian nationalities to learn in their native tongue is an unfortunate reality for all non-Persian nationalities in Iran, but it is a particularly urgent issue for the Ahwazi Arab population who endure abject poverty despite the fact that 90% of Iran’s oil comes from the region. 

Interest in holding a hearing at the European Parliament on these issues was expressed. It was also acknowledged that up-to-date information on the situation of non-Persian nationalities in Iran must be regularly circulate to key stakeholders.