Azerbaijan, Baku, May 21 / Trend M.Aliyev /
The Benelux Azerbaijanis Congress (BAC) which was held in The Hague protested against Iran's anti-Azerbaijani policy.
The action under the slogan of 'Iran, hands off Azerbaijan!' was held in front of the Dutch parliament, BAC told Trend on Monday. The protesters condemned the anti-Azerbaijani propaganda being carried out by Iran, and said that Tehran's actions constitute interference in the internal affairs of the independent state of Azerbaijan.
The action's resolution notes that some members of Iranian political circles are concerned with the dynamic development of Azerbaijan which, according to the authors of the document, may give impetus to stirring up the national liberation movement in South Azerbaijan.
"Unfounded allegations and statements against the Azerbaijani state continue to be heard in Iran. There are attempts to create the appearance that the Azerbaijani authorities are allegedly strangling freedom of religion," the appeal says.
At the same time Iran itself shows disrespect to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, violates the rights of 35 million Azerbaijanis living in Southern Azerbaijan, by taking away their right to education in their native language, to national identity, promotion of customs and traditions and purposefully tries to destroy this nation, the statement says.
Azerbaijanis living in Sweden as a protest against Tehran's attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan held a demonstration in front of the Iranian embassy in Stockholm. The action was attended by representatives of the South Azerbaijani Independence Party, the Congress of Azerbaijanis in Sweden, the Congress of Azerbaijanis of Southern Azerbaijan, the World Azerbaijanis Congress and other societies. Protesting against the assistance provided by Iran to Armenia, and friendly relations with the country-aggressor, as well as against violations of 35 million Azerbaijanis living in Iran, the protesters chanted slogans like 'Stop aid to Armenia, which occupied Azerbaijan', 'No road from Tabriz to Armenia!', 'Hands off independent Azerbaijan' and 'Stop stoning women in Iran'.
Speaking at the protest action, the Swedish representative of the South Azerbaijani Independence Party, Fartash Samad, chairman of the Congress of Azerbaijanis in Sweden, Jawad Derahti, a board member of WAC, Mammad Azar, and others condemned the anti-Azerbaijani policy of Iran and demanded an end to it.
At the end of the action, a board member of WAC, Aida Amir Hashemi, voiced a statement from the Congress of Azerbaijanis of Southern Azerbaijan, the text of which is printed in three languages and handed over to the Iranian embassy in Sweden.