EVENT:

 

On the occasion of the 30th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), the Southern Azerbaijan Alliance and the Nonviolent Radical Party, are convening a side-event entitled “Adding Fuel to Fire or Paving the Way for Peace? Human Rights Post-Iranian Nuclear Deal?” to address the growing scepticism as to how Iran’s ethnic and linguistic minority communities, in particular Southern Azerbaijani Turks, will fare following the signing of a historic nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the world’s leading powers after, nearly 12 years of stand-off.

 

 

The event will bring together representatives of Southern Azerbaijani Turks, Kurds, Baloch and Ahwazi Arabs, alongside experts and academics, who will further shed light on the ongoing human rights double standards, despite decades of international attention and prioritization of security and geopolitical concerns.The side-event will create a platform for discussing constructive ways forward with the objective of advancing a human rights agenda with Iran and putting an end to the systematic persecution of minorities in the country. The accord, which will prevent Iran from producing material for developing nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions, is a long-awaited and unquestionable achievement; however, it will not yield long-term stability unless promptly followed by dialogue in other areas, most notably in the area of human rights.