Iranian security forces in the cities of Tabriz and Aher, South Azerbaijan have detained at least 5 Azerbaijani activists for “illegally” chanting anti- China and anti- Armenia slogans and carrying flags and posters with slogans in support of the oppressed people of Eastern Turkistan and displaced people of Karabagh.

During the annual “Guds Day” demonstrations, organized by regime of Tehran “in support of people of Palestine”, many Azerbaijani activists raised Eastern Turkistan’s flags and placards to express solidarity with Uygurs in China.
However, security forces suppressed the demonstrators and made some arrests. Ibrahim Nuri and Milad Azimi were arrested in the city of Ahar and Hussein Rakhshanikiya, Sevindik Lutfi and Rasul Razavi were detained in Tabriz.

The chauvinistic regime of Tehran which pretends to be the “top advocate of all Muslims in the world” has demonstrated animosity to Muslims of Turkic origin. For instance, Iran has supported Armenia against Azerbaijan during and after the bloody war of 1990s.
Iran has also strictly censored newscasts of the most recent killings of Uygurs by the Chinese regime and ethnic Hans.

Eastern Turkistan
Eastern Turkistan was occupied by the Chinese Communist regime in 1949 and renamed to Xin Jiang meaning “New Territory.”
According to Chinese census of 2010, the current population of East Turkestan is 21.81 million including 8.75 million ethnic Han Chinese (40,1%) illegally settled in East Turkestan after 1949 (the ethnic Han Chinese numbered 200,000 in 1949).
However, the population shifts more and more in favor of the Han Chinese and make the Uyghurs strangers in their own land. Uyghur sources claim that real population of Uyghurs is around 20 million.