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Azerbaijan: Baku Keeps Lid on Ethnic Minorities

Officials estimate the number of Talysh in Azerbaijan at 70,000, but some experts say their numbers go as high as 500,000. Whatever the case, Talysh are heavily represented in the regions of Lenkoran, Astara and Lerik in the southeast of the country, with a significant number also living also in the capital city of Baku. Yet the situation in schools in Talysh-majority areas is similar to that in Dygyah, where there is virtually no instruction in the Talysh language. Novruzali Mammadov, a former editor, was arrested in 2007 on separatism charges after he published a fairly innocuous article on the history of the Talysh. Mammadov died in prison while serving his 15-year sentence. Human rights defenders characterize the case as politically motivated. And just this past June, the editor’s successor, Hilal Mammadov, was arrested charges of treason and espionage for Iran.