Mahmudali Chehregani

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Mahmudali Chehregani (also known as Mahmudali Chohraganli) is an Azeri born in Shabistar, Iran, in 1958 and is the founder (1995) and leader of the Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement (SANAM or GAMOH), a nationalist political group that claims to represent the interests of Iran's estimated 12 to 23.5[1][2][3][4] million Azerbaijani minority. Chehregani was a professor of linguistics at Tabriz University.[5]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Chehregani's father was arrested and tortured on charges of Turkish nationalism during the era of the Shah.[6] Chehregani himself entered pollitics after his course teaching Turkish linguistics was closed by Iranian authorities[7][unreliable source?]. In 1995 he ran for the parliamentary elections of Iran in the Tabriz region, he voted in with 600,000 votes however, was refused entry into parliament and was arrested[8][9][unreliable source?].

Chehregani was arrested by agents of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence in December 1999, effectively preventing him registering as a candidate for the Majlis (Parliament) election within the specified time. He was tried by a revolutionary court on charges including smuggling shampoo[citation needed], and sentenced on 18 February 2000 to six months' imprisonment. Amnesty International believed that "he has been imprisoned to suppress the non-violent expression of his conscientiously held beliefs, and as such was a prisoner of conscience".[10].

Chehregani went on a hunger strike on May 19, in protest at his unfair trial. He was transferred to the prison hospital on July 23, suffering from internal bleeding, and subsequently released from Tabriz prison on July 27, 2000, after six months in detention, when his condition had stabilised.[11] Iran lifted a travel ban on Chehregani in 2002, allowing him to meet with high-level government figures in Turkey and the United States. Since 2002 he lives in exile in the United States.

Chehregani has so far not been able to bring evidence that he has a PhD from Tehran University. On his website he claims that he received a degree from Tehran University, yet another biography claims that he received his doctorate from Baku State University.[12] In an interview with HRW organizations he alleges that he is a doctor, but so far Mr. Chehregani has not shown that he indeed obtained a PhD from Tehran University.[citation needed]

[edit] Political views

[edit] Language and culture

Chehregani's campaign focused on issues of cultural discrimination. He expressed concern that the Azeri language and culture was in danger of vanishing. He demanded recognition for Azeris as Iranians, not Persians, and called for the teaching of the Azeri language instead of Arabic as a second language in schools in Azeri areas,[5] as guaranteed under Article 15 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which permits the use of regional languages in the media and in schools when used in addition to Persian.[13].

Yet regional languages are used in the Iranian Media and Chehregani claims to have specialized in teaching the Turkish language at Tehran University,[citation needed] which contradicts his claims. Furthermore, the Iranian government does not claim minorities to be Persians, and the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, himself is Azeri.

[edit] Separatism

In his speech in Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, DC, Chehregani declared the goals of his movement as follows:

"We support the territorial integrity of Iran and do not seek unification with Republic of Azerbaijan or Turkey. We do not want to live under the Islamic regime; we want democracy in Iran. We envision Iran in a federalist form that respects the rights of Azerbaijani Turks."[14]

However, Chehreganli has several times explained his objective was to separate Azerbaijan from Iran.[15] Chehregani has previously affirmed many times that federalism is an excuse for separatism and that he is a separatist[16] He and his group have also set their aims on non-Azeri inhabited areas, specially areas inhabited by various ethnic groups including Kurds, Talysh and other Iranians.[17] Chehregani also considers the predominantly non-Azerbaijani provinces as Hamadan and Qazvin and also the Kurdish parts of West Azerbaijan as part of Azerbaijan.[18] Chehregani, in an interview with GunAz TV has claimed that he sees provinces which are not majority Azerbaijani, such as West Azerbaijan, Qazvin, Tehran, Arak and parts of Gilan and Kordestan as part of Azerbaijani territory.[19]

Chehregani used the word "Fars Kupaklari" (Persian dogs) to refer to Persian Iranians on CNN Turk.[20].

[edit] Kurds

He and a group of Azerbaijani nationalists wrote a letter to then president Khatami asking him to limit the birth of Kurds in Iran and has called Kurds in Western Azerbaijan as the guests of Azerbaijanis.[21][22][23] He considers the Kurds, who predate Turkic speakers in the area, to be guests in Azerbaijan and has reduced the numbers of Kurds in his statistics and has recently claimed[24] that "There are 500,000 Kurdish immigrants in Southern Azerbaijan. If they behave normally, there will be no problems, otherwise they will have to leave the same way as they came".[25]

[edit] Iraq

He and His group has also advocated the invasion of Northern Iraq by Turkey and considers Mosul and Kirkuk to be ancient Turkish lands under Kurdish occupation.[26][27][28]

[edit] Connections to the MHP

His connection with far-right Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is also noticeable and recently he and the leader of the Turkmen front were awarded the medal of Turkishness by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli. On his trip, Chehregani paid his respects to Alparslan Türkeş, the founder of the MHP party.

[edit] Armenian Genocide

Chehregani personally denies the Armenian Genocide.[29]. There are several anti-Armenian links in the website of his group entitled “Azeri Genocide” and “Armenian Terror”. The website Armenian Genocide.[30][31]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Iran: People" - CIA: The World Factbook (retrieved 7 June 2006).
  2. ^ "Iran" - Amnesty International report on Iran and Azerbaijanis (retrieved 30 July 2006).
  3. ^ Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity, 'The Azerbaijani Population' by Brenda Shaffer, pp. 221-225. The MIT Press (2003), ISBN 0-262-19477-5 (retrieved 10 June 2006)
  4. ^ "Encyclopedia Orient Iran" - 'Encyclopedia Orient (retrieved 18 Aug 2006).
  5. ^ a b Human Rights Watch. Iran. Religious And Ethnic Minorities: Discrimination in Law And Practice. 1997 report.
  6. ^ http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2476
  7. ^ WWW.GAMOH.ORG | South Azerbaijan
  8. ^ http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2476
  9. ^ WWW.GAMOH.ORG | South Azerbaijan
  10. ^ Amnesty International. Iran: Health concern/Unfair trial - Dr Mahmudali Chehregani
  11. ^ Amnesty International. Iran: Further Information on Health concern/unfair trial
  12. ^ [1] Parviz Zare' Shahmarsi. On the situation of the Turkish language in Iran. From 1988 to 1996.
  13. ^ Amnesty International. Iran: Health concern/Unfair trial - Dr Mahmudali Chehregani
  14. ^ CSIS Caucasus Project Meeting Notes. Azerbaijani Turks of Iran: Will They Lead a Revolution Again? Mahmoudali Chehregani. August 8, 2002
  15. ^ [2]. AZERI SEPARATIST MEETS POLICY MAKERS IN WASHINGTON By Reza Breakstone
  16. ^ [3] Transcript of part of Chehregani 18 hour multi-part interview with Gunaz TV. Ali Amoui.
  17. ^ [4] Map from Gamoh's website compare to reliable maps like the one from BBC [5]
  18. ^ [6] Map from Gamoh's website compare to reliable maps like the one from BBC [7]
  19. ^ [8] Transcript of part of Chohraghanli 18 hour multi-part interview with Gunaz TV. Ali Amoui.
  20. ^ [9] Mazdak Bamdadan. 4th of December. 2003. religious intolerance, blind nationalism and the nightmare of Iranian disintegration
  21. ^ [10] Mazdak Bamdadan. 4th of December. 2003. religious intolerance, blind nationalism and the nightmare of Iranian disintegration
  22. ^ [11] Mahmud Nozhatzadeh. The movement of Azerbaijan. Democratic or Separatist strategists. 28 November 2002.
  23. ^ [12] letter of 64 Azerbaijani writers, students and intellectuals addressing Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Letter was sent on the July 05 1998
  24. ^ [13] Mazdak Bamdadan. 4th of December. 2003. religious intolerance, blind nationalism and the nightmare of Iranian disintegration
  25. ^ See [14] Chehregani's own website
  26. ^ [15] Mazdak Bamdadan. 4th of December. 2003. religious intolerance, blind nationalism and the nightmare of Iranian disintegration
  27. ^ [16] Hossein Tork Ellali, Gamoh Spoke Person. The Turkish Army should enter Iraq.
  28. ^ [17] The Turkish Army Should Enter Iraq
  29. ^ [18] M. A. Çöhreqanlı. Southern Azerbaijan national awakening movement.
  30. ^ For example see the following article from Justin Mcarthy http://www.gamoh.org/genocide4.html
  31. ^ http://www.gamoh.org/en/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1080722783&archive=&cnshow=headlines&start_from=&ucat=&go=headlines Example from Ilham Aliyev, the current head of the Azerbaijani government, calling the Armenian Genocide Invented