South Azerbaijani Republic Party strongly condemns the continued detention of political activists in wartime conditions and the secret and illegal transfer of a number of political prisoners to unknown locations.
According to recent reliable reports from the party’s human rights branch, Islamic Republic regime of Iran has transferred a number of political and national activists of South Azerbaijan to unknown locations without informing their families and lawyers. This action has raised serious concerns about their safety and the possibility of using prisoners as human shields in the current critical situation between war with the United States and Israel.According to international standards and conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, governments are obliged to guarantee the security and human dignity of prisoners in all circumstances, especially in times of crisis and war. However, there is no precise information about the fate of many human rights activists in South Azerbaijan. South Azerbaijani republic Party is deeply concerned about the health and safety of political prisoners, including:Fatemeh Atashi Khiavi, Vadud Asadi, Abdolaziz Azimi Ghadimi, Araz Aman, Ali Babaei, Bagher Hajizadeh, Morteza Parvin, Abolfazl Ranjbari, Ayaz Seifkhah, Salar Taher Afshar, Yousef Kari, Abbas Lesani, Yunus Marami, Karam Mardaneh, Yorush Mehrali Beigli, Mohammad Reza Movahed, Mahmoud Ojaqlu, Taher Naqvi, Morteza Noormohammadi, Mohammad Reza Faghihi, Ahad Farahmand Yamchi and many other Azerbaijani activists whose names cannot be published due to pressure.The possible use of prisoners as human shields is a war crime and a clear violation of human rights and breach of international humanitarian law, and Islamic Republic regime of Iran will be fully accountable for it. South Azerbaijani Republic Party once again emphasizes the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners in South Azerbaijan and calls on the international community and human rights organizations to take urgent measures to protect their lives and force the Iranian regime to comply with its international obligations.South Azerbaijani Republic Party March 8, 2026
