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that he sees provinces which are not majority Azerbaijani such as West Azerbaijan, Qavin, Tehran, Arak and parts of Gilan and Kordestan as part of Azerbaijani territory.<ref>[http://negahi.com/misc/amouii.htm] Transcript of part of Chohraghanli 18 hour multi-part interview with Gunaz TV. Ali Amoui. </ref>
that he sees provinces which are not majority Azerbaijani such as West Azerbaijan, Qavin, Tehran, Arak and parts of Gilan and Kordestan as part of Azerbaijani territory.<ref>[http://negahi.com/misc/amouii.htm] Transcript of part of Chohraghanli 18 hour multi-part interview with Gunaz TV. Ali Amoui. </ref>


Mr. Chehregani personally denies the [[Armenian Genocide]].<ref> [http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:LaQjmN9H8HIJ:www.gamoh.org/muraciet/dr-24avril.html+%C3%87%C3%B6hreqanl%C4%B1+ermeni+site:www.gamoh.org&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1] M. A. Çöhreqanlı. Southern Azerbaijan national awakening movement. </ref>. There are several anti-Armenian links in the website of his group entitled “Azeri Genocide” and “Armenian Terror”. The website [[Armenian Genocide]].<ref>For example see the following article from Justin Mcarthy http://www.gamoh.org/genocide4.html</ref><ref>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</ref>
Mr. Chehregani personally denies the allegations of [[Armenian Genocide]]<ref> [http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:LaQjmN9H8HIJ:www.gamoh.org/muraciet/dr-24avril.html+%C3%87%C3%B6hreqanl%C4%B1+ermeni+site:www.gamoh.org&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1] M. A. Çöhreqanlı. Southern Azerbaijan national awakening movement</ref>.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 22:29, 8 August 2007

Mahmudali Chehregani (also known as Mahmudali Chohraganli) is an ethnic 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]

Chehregani was arrested by agents of the Iran's Ministry of Intelligence in December 1999, effectively preventing him registering as a candidate for the Majles (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".[6].

Note the filer of the Amnesty report claims: Dr Mahmudali Chehregani reportedly suffered a stroke in 1996, and is now said to be partially paralysed and to have lost the sight in his right eye., yet Chehregani recently appeared on television interview and was neither blind nor paralyzed.[7].[8]

Chehregani went on hunger strike on 19 May, in protest at his unfair trial. He was transferred to the prison hospital on 23 July, suffering from internal bleeding, and subsequently released from Tabriz prison on 27 July 2000, after six months in detention, when his condition had stabilised.[9] Iran lifted a travel ban on Chehregani in 2002, allowing him to meet with high-level government figures in Turkey and the USA. Since 2002 he lives in exile in the USA.

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 university.[10]. In an interview with HRW organizations he alleges that he is a doctor, but so far Mr. Chohraqanli has not shown that he indeed obtained a PhD from Tehran University.[citation needed]

Political views

Chehregani's campaign focused on issues of cultural discrimination. He expressed concern that 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.[11]. Yet regional languages are used in Iranian Media and Chehreganli claims to have specialized in teaching the Turkish language at Tehran University,[citation needed] which contradict his claims. Furthermore, the Iranian government does not claim minorities to be Persians, and the supreme leader of Iran himself is Azeri.

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."[12]

However, Chehreganli has several times explained his objective was to separate Azerbaijan from Iran.[13] Chehregani has previously affirmed many times that federalism is an excuse for separatism and that he is a separatist[14]

Chehregani used the word Fars Kupaklari (Persian Dogs) to refer to Persian Iranians on CNN Turk.[15]

He and a group of Azerbaijani nationalists wrote a letter to Khatami asking him to limit the birth of Kurds in Iran and has called Kurds in Western Azerbaijan guests of Azerbaijanis.[16].[17][18] He considers 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[19] 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.[20]

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.[21][22][23]

He and His group also has set its aim on non-Azeri inhabited areas, specially areas inhabited by various ethnic groups including Kurds, Talysh and other Iranians.[24]

His connection with Turkish Nationalist Movement Party 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 respect to Alparslan Türkeş, the founder of the MHP party. Chehregani also considers predominantly non-Azerbaijani provinces as Hamadan and Ghazvin and also the Kurdish parts of West Azerbaijan as part of Azerbaijan.[25]. Mr. Chehreganli in a recent interview with GunAz TV has claimed that he sees provinces which are not majority Azerbaijani such as West Azerbaijan, Qavin, Tehran, Arak and parts of Gilan and Kordestan as part of Azerbaijani territory.[26]

Mr. Chehregani personally denies the allegations of Armenian Genocide[27].

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. ^ Amnesty International. Iran: Health concern/Unfair trial - Dr Mahmudali Chehregani
  7. ^ [1] Transcript of part of Chohraghanli 18 hour multi-part interview with Gunaz TV. Ali Amoui.
  8. ^ [2][3][4] some photos of Chehregani after leaving Iran
  9. ^ Amnesty International. Iran: Further Information on Health concern/unfair trial
  10. ^ [5] Parviz Zare' Shahmarsi. On the situation of the Turkish language in Iran. From 1988 to 1996.
  11. ^ Amnesty International. Iran: Health concern/Unfair trial - Dr Mahmudali Chehregani
  12. ^ CSIS Caucasus Project Meeting Notes. Azerbaijani Turks of Iran: Will They Lead a Revolution Again? Mahmoudali Chehregani. August 8, 2002
  13. ^ [6]. AZERI SEPARATIST MEETS POLICY MAKERS IN WASHINGTON By Reza Breakstone
  14. ^ [7] Transcript of part of Chehregani 18 hour multi-part interview with Gunaz TV. Ali Amoui.
  15. ^ [8] Mazdak Bamdadan. 4th of December. 2003. religious intolerance, blind nationalism and the nightmare of Iranian disintegration
  16. ^ [9] Mazdak Bamdadan. 4th of December. 2003. religious intolerance, blind nationalism and the nightmare of Iranian disintegration
  17. ^ [10] Mahmud Nozhatzadeh. The movement of Azerbaijan. Democratic or Separatist strategists. 28 November 2002.
  18. ^ [11] letter of 64 Azerbaijani writers, students and intellectuals addressing Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Letter was sent on the July 05 1998
  19. ^ [12] Mazdak Bamdadan. 4th of December. 2003. religious intolerance, blind nationalism and the nightmare of Iranian disintegration
  20. ^ See [13] Chehregani's own website
  21. ^ [14] Mazdak Bamdadan. 4th of December. 2003. religious intolerance, blind nationalism and the nightmare of Iranian disintegration
  22. ^ [15] Hossein Tork Ellali, Gamoh Spoke Person. The Turkish Army should enter Iraq.
  23. ^ [16] The Turkish Army Should Enter Iraq
  24. ^ [17] Map from Gamoh's website compare to reliable maps like the one from BBC [18]
  25. ^ [19] Map from Gamoh's website compare to reliable maps like the one from BBC [20]
  26. ^ [21] Transcript of part of Chohraghanli 18 hour multi-part interview with Gunaz TV. Ali Amoui.
  27. ^ [22] M. A. Çöhreqanlı. Southern Azerbaijan national awakening movement
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