Eight Iranian Azerbaijani cultural and linguistic rights activists (Esma’il Javadi, Ebulfezl Alilu, Ramin Sadeghi, Qahreman Qanbarpour, Adel Allahverdipour, Jelil Qanilu, Safar Ali Kho’ini and Ja’far Haqnazari were arrested at around the time of peaceful demonstrations marking the 21 February International Mother Language Day, intended to celebrate linguistic diversity. They were arrested in various towns and cities in Iranian Azerbaijan. Amnesty International considers them prisoners of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful expression of their conscientiously held beliefs and their right to freedom of association.
