Azerbaijan has reportedly declared 14 Iranian citizens persona non grata and banned them from entering the country over statements and public appeals allegedly directed against Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, security and constitutional order. According to information obtained by local media outlet APA, the decision follows an increase in what the report describes as hostile rhetoric, insulting statements and unlawful calls targeting the Azerbaijani state, its people and leadership by Iranian public figures and media representatives. The individuals reportedly include members and former members of Iran’s parliament, religious figures, political analysts, academics and media representatives.
The report alleges that some of those concerned have made statements challenging Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, criticised its system of governance and state-religion relations, encouraged religious radicalism and hostility, or called for the forcible removal of the country’s leadership. According to APA, the following 14 Iranian nationals have been declared persona non grata: Ehsan Movahhediyan – Political analyst, expert and lecturer at Tehran’s Allameh Tabataba’i University. Ahmad Farshbafian – Former head of the Centre for Caucasus and Anatolian Studies at the University of Tabriz.
Kamran Ghazanfari – Member of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly. Alireza Beighi – Former memberof Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly and political commentator. Abolfazl Zohravand – Member of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly.
Abbas Mogtedayi Khorasgani – Member of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly. Alireza Salimi – Member of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly. Huseyn Shariatmadari – Editor-in-chief of Iran’s Kayhan newspaper.
Ayatollah Mohsen Araki – Member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and Consultative Council. Ayatollah Muhammad Javad Fazil Lankarani – Religious scholar, member of the Society of Authors and Teachers of the Qom Seminary and head of the Imam-e-Athar Fiqh Centre in Qom. Abdul Hossein Khosrov Panah – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.
Hujjat-ul-Islam Gholamreza Kawashi – Head of public relations at the office of the Friday prayer imam of Tabriz and the office of the Iranian Supreme Leader’s representative in East Azerbaijan Province. Dariush Safranjejad – Professor and political analyst. Ahmadreza Mousavi – Actor and television presenter.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
