Country: Iran
Ethnic Group: Turkmen
Date Finalized: 04/15/2021
Team: Alicia Hernandez (lead) and Vianney Mancilla
Content Warning: religious persecution
Approximate Time Period: 1925, 1979-present
The Turkmen live in the north and northeast side of Iran, and comprise the largest minority group in Iran (Rashidvash, 2013). In 1925, many Turkmen fled to the Soviet Union after Iran’s leader, Reza Shah, began a pacification campaign against them. In 1979, the Turkmen rebelled against the new revolutionary government demanding official recognition of their language and representation in local revolutionary councils. Since then, Turkmen, who are largely Sunni muslims, have experienced regular persecution and discrimination from the Shi’a-dominated Iranian revolutionary government. This treatment has led many Turkmen to flee Iran (University of Maryland, 2006). This is a clear example of he Turkmen being forced away by the Iran government.
Data quality: 2/3. We did find clear evidence that Turkmen had been forced away. However, we found only a few relevant sources.
Sources
- Rashidvash V. (2013) Turkmen Status within Iranian Ethnic Identity (Cultural, Geographical, Political). Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234673757.pdf on April 15th 2021
- University of Maryland(2006) Assessment for Turkmen in Iran.Retrieved from http://www.mar.umd.edu/assessment.asp?groupId=63008 on April 14th 2021