Iran Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijanis are trafficked into northern Europe, particularly to the Netherlands and Germany, where many unsuccessfully seek asylum. Traffickers usually sent women to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran, Turkey, or Western Europe, mainly Germany, to work as prostitutes. Women from Iran, Russia, and sometimes Iraq are transported through the country to the UAE, Europe, and occasionally the U.S. for the same purposes. Traffickers generally target women; however, there also were cases in which men and children were victims of trafficking. Traffickers either may be foreigners or ethnic Azerbaijanis who act as middlemen for large trafficking syndicates headquartered abroad. Victims are approached directly and indirectly through friends and relatives. Traffickers also use newspaper advertisements offering false work abroad. According to an NGO, draft-age men seeking to escape military service in 2000 were invited by local traffickers to work in the hotel industry in Turkey, but ended up in ... [Read More]
Background Notes Archive - Near East and North Africa
U.S. Department of State______________________________________________________ The State Department does not guarantee the authenticity of documents on the Internet. If for legal or other reasons you require the original version of a document in hard copy, please contact the Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs.Note that State Department information is not copyrighted unlessindicated and can be reproduced without consent. Citation of source isappreciated. Permission to reproduce any copyrighted material(including photos or graphics) must be obtained from the originalsource.______________________________________________________BACKGROUND NOTES: IRAN PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS U.S.DEPARTMENT OF STATEJULY 1994 Official Name: Islamic Republic of IranPROFILEGeography Area: 1.6 million sq. km. (636, 294 sq. mi.); slightlylarger than Alaska.Cities: Capital--Tehran. Other cities--Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad,Shiraz.Terrain: Desert and mo ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Over 21 million Azerbaijanis live in Iran, and 2 million or more live in the other republics of the former Soviet Union. The Azerbaijani population living in the U.S. is difficult to estimate, since many that are ethnically Azerbaijani are often identified as Iranian or Turkish. ... The Republic of Azerbaijan is a country of great physical variety and complicated boundaries. Its territory of 33,774 square miles (about the size of Maine or Portugal), includes one autonomous region, Nagorno Karabakh (currently occupied by Armenian forces); one autonomous republic, Nakhchivan, which is separated from Azerbaijan proper by the Zangezur Region of Armenia; and several clusters of small islands in the Caspian Sea. Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, is situated on the northern shore of the Bay of Baku on the Apsheron Peninsula, which juts into the Caspian Sea “like an eagle’s beak.” The Caspian Sea borders the country on the east. Counterclockwise from there, it is framed by the Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey (only 17 miles), and Iran. ... [Read More]
Iran
The UNHCR estimated that there were approximately 450,000 to 510,000 Iraqi Kurdish refugees in the country at the end of 2001, of whom approximately 83 percent were Shi'a and 17 percent non-Shi'a. An additional 70,000 refugees were Shi'a Arabs. Many of the Iraqi refugees were expelled by Iraq at the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war because of their suspected Iranian origin. In numerous instances, both the Iraqi and Iranian Governments disputed their citizenship, rendering many of them stateless. Other Iraqi refugees arrived following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
Traffickers generally targeted women; however, there also were cases in which men and children were victims of trafficking. Traffickers were either foreigners or ethnic Azerbaijanis who acted as middlemen for large trafficking syndicates headquartered abroad. Victims were approached directly and indirectly through friends and relatives. Traffickers also used newspaper advertisements offering false work abroad. According to the Society for the Defense of Women's Rights, draft-age men seeking to escape military service in 2000 were invited by local traffickers to work in the hotel industry in Turkey, but ended up in male brothels. Another NGO reported that families of young women had been approached by individuals claiming that visiting Iranian businessmen had seen their daughters and wished to marry them. Following parental permission for such marriages, the women were transported to Iran to work as prostitutes. ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
During the year, a total of three POWs were released, one from Azerbaijan and two from Armenia.The law prohibits forced exile, and the Government did not employ it. e. Denial of a Fair and Public Trial The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary; however, in practice, judges did not function independently of the executive branch, and the judiciary was widely believed to be corrupt and inefficient. Judges preside over and direct trials. The President appoints Supreme and Constitutional Court judges, whom Parliament confirms. The President appoints lower-level judges without confirmation. Qualifying exams for judges were administered periodically as part of a judicial reform effort; however, credible allegations persisted that judgeships were bought and sold. Low salaries for judges and lawyers increased the incentives for bribe taking and ... [Read More]
Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran [note 1] is a constitutional, theocratic republic in which Shi'a Muslim clergy dominate the key power structures. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamene'i, dominates a tri-cameral division of power among legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Khamene'i directly controls the armed forces and exercises indirect control over the internal security forces, the judiciary, and other key institutions. The executive branch was headed by President Mohammad Khatami, who won a second 4-year term in June 2001, with 77 percent of the popular vote in a multiparty election. The legislative branch featured a popularly elected 290-seat Islamic Consultative Assembly, Majlis, which develops and passes legislation. Reformist and moderate candidates won a landslide victory for 4-year terms in the 2000 Majlis election, gaining a clear majority of that body. However, the 12-member Guardian ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan
As a result of conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh area of Azerbaijan, insurgent forces occupy approximately 15 percent of Azerbaijani territory (in the southwest along the borders with Iran and Armenia). A cease-fire has been in effect in the Nagorno-Karabakh region since 1994, although reports of armed clashes along the cease-fire line and along the border with Armenia continue. Anti-personnel mines are a danger in areas close to the front lines. It is not possible to enter the self-proclaimed "Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh," which is not recognized by the United States, from Azerbaijan. Travelers are cautioned to avoid travel to Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied areas. Because of the existing state of hostilities, consular services are not available to Americans in Nagorno-K ... [Read More]
Azerbaijan (10/04)
Azerbaijan combines the heritage of two venerable civilizations--the Seljuk Turks of the 11th century and the ancient Persians. Its name is thought to be derived from the Persian phrase "Land of Fire," referring both to its petroleum deposits, known since ancient times, and to its status as a former center of the Zoroastrian faith. The Azerbaijani Republic borders the Iranian provinces of East and West Azerbaijan, although they have not been united into a single state in modern times. ... [Read More]
Iran (08/04)
Iran's relations with many of its Arab neighbors have been strained by Iranian attempts to spread its Islamic revolution. In 1981, Iran supported a plot to overthrow the Bahrain Government. In 1983, Iran expressed support for Shi'ites who bombed Western embassies in Kuwait, and in 1987, Iranian pilgrims rioted during the Hajj (pilgrimage) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Nations with strong fundamentalist movements, such as Egypt and Algeria, also mistrust Iran. Iran backs Hizballah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command--all groups violently opposed to the Arab-Israeli peace process. Relations with west European nations have been uneven, with growing commercial ties largely having failed to deliver dividends on key European political concerns such as human rights and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) acquisition efforts, particularly in the nuclear field, where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been strongly ... [Read More]
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