1 Mehr / 23 September – On the Opening of Persian-Language Schools in Iran
Appeal of the South Azerbaijan Liberation Party to Our People
Dear Azerbaijani Turk Nation and the Communities Living in Iran,
For us, 1 Mehr – the opening of the school year in Iran – is not a day of joy, but one of deep sorrow. On this day, the regime continues to deprive 40 million Azerbaijani Turks, along with millions of other nations, of education in their mother tongue.
By forcibly imposing Persian-language instruction, the Iranian state tramples both its own constitution and international conventions. This constitutes a clear act of national and cultural genocide.
At the same time, the regime not only destroys our languages, but also devastates our vital resources. Lake Urmia – a symbol of our people’s identity – is being deliberately dried up by state policy. This is nothing less than a declaration of war against the Turkic nation and an ecological crime on a global scale.
As the South Azerbaijan Liberation Party, we firmly declare that:
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Our awakened nation will safeguard its mother tongue with all available means and will not retreat even a single step.
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The Turkic nation will not remain silent over the destruction of Lake Urmia and, at the first opportunity, will hold the regime fully accountable.
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The heavy situation faced by Azerbaijan today, despite its historical record of political, economic, social, and natural richness, is evident to all. The end of this suffering depends on the removal of the chauvinistic Persian-Shuubi system. Until that day, however, the Azerbaijani Turk Nation will persist, step by step, in reclaiming its national and human rights without silence.
Down with the murderers of the Turkic language and Lake Urmia!
Long live the National Statehood of South Azerbaijan!
South Azerbaijan Liberation Party
16 September 2025