Talysh National Movement
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The Talysh National Movement is a
Talysh Talysh may refer to: *Talysh people, an ethnic group of Iran and Azerbaijan **Talysh language, the West Iranian language of these people ** Talysh, a historical region on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, inhabited by the Talysh people *T ...
movement created in 2007 in the Netherlands, where part of the Talysh leadership lives in exile. Many of the movement's members had previously participated in the formation of the
Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic Talysh-Mughan, officially known as the Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic ( Talysh: Толъш-Мъғонә Мохтарә Республикә, ''Tolış-Mığonə Muxtara Respublika''), was a short-lived autonomous republic in Azerbaijan that l ...
in 1993, including board member
Alikram Hummatov Alikram Hummatov or Ali Akram Hummatzade (also spelled as Alakram Hummatov, 28 October 1948 – 22 December 2022) was an Azerbaijani Talysh military commander and political activist. He was the president of the self-proclaimed Talysh-Mughan Aut ...
. The Talysh National Movement joined the
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is an international organization established to facilitate the voices of unrepresented and marginalized nations and peoples worldwide. It was formed on 11 February 1991 at the Peace Pal ...
on 26 June 2007. This was terminated on 1 March 2008 before it was re-admitted on 29 June 2014.


History

In the second half of August 1993, the members of the
Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic Talysh-Mughan, officially known as the Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic ( Talysh: Толъш-Мъғонә Мохтарә Республикә, ''Tolış-Mığonə Muxtara Respublika''), was a short-lived autonomous republic in Azerbaijan that l ...
and servicemen associated with the President of the TMAR Alikram Hummatov were recalled from the front, then arrested and subjected to repression. Alikram Hummatov's relatives were also repressed, his brothers and uncle were arrested and convicted of harboring a state criminal. Alikram Hummatov's wife was hiding from arrest for a long time. Alikram Hummatov's twelve-year-old son was tortured by the police by burning his hands with cigarettes. Alikram Hummatov was arrested and sentenced to death, later commuted to life in prison. Under pressure from the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
, he was pardoned in 2004. From the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and other European countries, he and other refugees from
Talysh Talysh may refer to: *Talysh people, an ethnic group of Iran and Azerbaijan **Talysh language, the West Iranian language of these people ** Talysh, a historical region on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, inhabited by the Talysh people *T ...
try to support the still active national movement in
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. Since 2007,
Alikram Hummatov Alikram Hummatov or Ali Akram Hummatzade (also spelled as Alakram Hummatov, 28 October 1948 – 22 December 2022) was an Azerbaijani Talysh military commander and political activist. He was the president of the self-proclaimed Talysh-Mughan Aut ...
has been heading the Talysh National Movement (TNM) in the Netherlands, where part of the Talysh leadership of the TMAR lives in exile. In particular, the TNM stands for the creation of a Talysh province with regional administration within the borders of Azerbaijan. The organization calls for the decentralization of power in order to promote more equitable representation of minority groups, as well as to guarantee cultural and linguistic freedoms. The headquarters of the organization is considered to be
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, where the head of the Gummat movement lives; the organization is headed by a political council of 15 people. On 5 May 2015, the Organization of Nations and Peoples without Representation (
UNPO The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is an international organization established to facilitate the voices of unrepresented and marginalized Nation, nations and peoples worldwide. It was formed on 11 February 1991 at the P ...
), together with the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
and in cooperation with the Talysh National Movement (TNM), convened a conference entitled "Azerbaijan: Double Standards and Abuses of Minority Rights". The second part of the conference, entitled “Ways Forward: Civil Society Initiatives, Economic Development and International Strategies,” was aimed at discussing theoretical and practical alternatives for protecting the rights of minorities in Azerbaijan. The second part was opened by TNM President
Alikram Hummatov Alikram Hummatov or Ali Akram Hummatzade (also spelled as Alakram Hummatov, 28 October 1948 – 22 December 2022) was an Azerbaijani Talysh military commander and political activist. He was the president of the self-proclaimed Talysh-Mughan Aut ...
, who addressed the problems arising from the extreme political centralization of the Aliyev government. While in theory it is a democracy, he said, there is no real separation of powers in the country, and its current political system leaves no room for dissent or alternative opinions. In his opinion, a possible solution lies in political reforms and decentralization, which will give each of the country's regions the opportunity to change their social, cultural and economic life in accordance with their needs and identity. An important role in the movement is played by the former chairman of the People's Mejlis of the
Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic Talysh-Mughan, officially known as the Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic ( Talysh: Толъш-Мъғонә Мохтарә Республикә, ''Tolış-Mığonə Muxtara Respublika''), was a short-lived autonomous republic in Azerbaijan that l ...
, philosopher and political scientist Fahraddin Abbaszadeh, who emigrated to
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
in 1995, but returned to his homeland in 2005 and published a newspaper in
Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, but in 2008 was forced to emigrate to Russia because of harassment. In July 2018, F. Abbaszadeh was detained by the Russian authorities and at the beginning of 2019 extradited to
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, where he was brought to trial for anti-state activities. When studying the materials on the basis of which the accusatory decision was made, the international human rights organization Amnesty International, in its report "Azerbaijan authorities must release Talysh activists", came to the conclusion that none of these materials contains evidence of any recognized crimes in accordance with international law and standards, or contains any incitement to acts of violence. Calls for secession are protected by international law, and Abbaszadeh exercised his right to freedom of expression in upholding his vision of an independent Talysh state.


Movement goals

The Talysh National Movement stands for the Talysh region with regional joint administration within the borders of Azerbaijan. This requires decentralization of power in order to promote fairer representation of minority groups, as well as to guarantee cultural and linguistic freedoms.
On 15 July 2018, a group of young activists, together with
Alikram Hummatov Alikram Hummatov or Ali Akram Hummatzade (also spelled as Alakram Hummatov, 28 October 1948 – 22 December 2022) was an Azerbaijani Talysh military commander and political activist. He was the president of the self-proclaimed Talysh-Mughan Aut ...
, formed the government of the
Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic Talysh-Mughan, officially known as the Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic ( Talysh: Толъш-Мъғонә Мохтарә Республикә, ''Tolış-Mığonə Muxtara Respublika''), was a short-lived autonomous republic in Azerbaijan that l ...
in exile. The TNM government sends letters and statements to international organizations, states and world human rights organizations to reflect the position of the Talysh in the country. It also calls on the Azerbaijani government to end discrimination against Talysh people, demands that the Talysh language be taught in schools and that Talysh people can earn their living in their own country, and not be forced to leave abroad. All ministers of the government of the Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic live in exile, in countries such as the Netherlands.


Problems

According to the
UNPO The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is an international organization established to facilitate the voices of unrepresented and marginalized Nation, nations and peoples worldwide. It was formed on 11 February 1991 at the P ...
website, like many other minorities in Azerbaijan, the inhabitants of Talysh are subjected to aggressive attempts at assimilation - the
Talysh language Talysh (, , ) is a Northwestern Iranian languages, Northwestern Iranian language spoken in the northern regions of the Iranian provinces of Gilan Province, Gilan and Ardabil Province, Ardabil and the southern regions of the Republic of Azerbaij ...
has no formal education, and reading and speaking this language is not welcomed by the authorities. Instead, Talysh are encouraged to use Azeri or Persian in official situations. Thus, the number of young people studying in the Talysh language is decreasing, as this language is currently classified by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
as "vulnerable". This poses a serious threat to the cultural integrity of the
Talysh Talysh may refer to: *Talysh people, an ethnic group of Iran and Azerbaijan **Talysh language, the West Iranian language of these people ** Talysh, a historical region on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, inhabited by the Talysh people *T ...
, and therefore one of the key goals of the TNM is greater linguistic freedom. Active Talysh figures who claimed the rights of the Talysh people, who were conducting human rights work, or who had a point of view not conforming to the official authorities were persecuted, for example, the deaths in prison of the scientist
Novruzali Mammadov Novruzali Khanmammad oğlu Mammadov (; March 1942 - 17 August 2009) was an Azerbaijani philologist, journalist and activist of Talysh ethnicity. He was the founder and editor of the now-defunct newspaper ''Tolyshi Sado'' (Voice of the Talysh). Mamm ...
and Fahraddin Abbaszadeh, the prison sentence of journalist
Hilal Mammadov Hilal Mammadov (; b. 1959, Astara Rayon, Azerbaijan SSR) is an Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist. He is the chief editor of the Baku-based newspaper "Tolyshi sado" ("The Voice of Talysh"), the only newspaper in Azerbaijan printed in ...
, the oppression of
Atakhan Abilov Atakhan Abilov () is a Talysh national minority and human rights activist from Azerbaijan, lawyer and author of books on International law. He has refugee status from the Russian Government and UN, as his colleagues from the "Voice of Talysh" n ...
and the arrest of Elvin Isaev. The leaders of the Talysh national movement are convinced that the current authorities of Azerbaijan continue the course for the complete assimilation of the Talysh on the principle "no people - no problem".


See also

*
Talish (region) Tālīsh (; ; ) is a region in the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea. It is a homeland of the Indigenous peoples, indigenous Talysh people, who inhabit the region and speak the Talysh language. The territory and the language set apart Tali ...
*
Talish-i Gushtasbi Talish-i Gushtasbi () is the historical name of the northern Talish area, presently a part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. During the Abbasid Caliphate, there was a (partially equivalent) region called Gushtasfi (). People of northern Talysh are of ...


References

{{Talysh people Talysh History of Talysh Talysh people The National Talysh Movement Political parties of minorities in Azerbaijan