Azerbaijani activists, Behnam Sheikhi, Rustam Kazempur, Mahmud Ojaqlu, and Hamid Manafi were arrested by Tehran’s intelligence Service, Ettellat.
They are believed to have been held in Ettelaat’s detention centre. Early in March 2015, Ali Rezayi, Alireza Farshi, Akbar Azad and Mansur Fathi were detained by Iran’s security forces and are being held in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Reportedly, the activists were detained for their alleged involvement to organize a rally on 21st February, the International Mother Language Day. According to media outlets, the activists made attempts to obtain a permission from the Tehran Municipality to organize a peaceful protest demanding the basic right of education in mother language for over 30 million Azerbaijani Turks.