Younes Shameli, member of the executive committee of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, said that Iran is a multinational country whose peopl
Younes Shameli, member of the executive committee of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, said that Iran is a multinational country whose peoples must be able to govern their own regions in accordance with internationally recognised principles.
According to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), Shameli made the remarks at the conference “Human Rights in Post–Islamic Republic Iran,” held in Oslo on 18–19 October 2025. Referring to a United Nations resolution on the rights of indigenous peoples, he said the document clearly recognises the right of indigenous communities to self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs. “Kurds, Turks, Baloch, Arabs and other ‘nations’ of Iran are indigenous peoples of this land,” Shameli said, “and based on these principles they must have a role in governing their own affairs.”
Shameli argued that the limited understanding of human rights among centralist political forces in Iran—who often view human rights solely in individual terms—has hindered the development of democracy. He emphasised that international conventions, including those concerning women, children and minority groups, recognise collective rights as well, and that ignoring these principles disrupts social balance.
He also noted that Iran’s own political history contains examples of recognising local governance. Referring to the Constitutional Revolution era, Shameli said that the constitution’s provisions regarding provincial and regional councils recognised that each province should have its own form of local administration. “Even at a time when there were no modern universities or today’s technologies,” Shameli said, “there was an understanding that Iran should be governed in a decentralised manner. But over the past century authoritarian systems have taken that right away from the people.”
Shameli described federalism not as a threat to national unity but as a way to reduce concentration of power and structural discrimination. “The experiences of countries such as India, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada show that the distribution of political power can strengthen democracy and coexistence,” Shameli said, “rather than lead to separatism.” He also noted that no region in Iran is ethnically homogeneous, arguing that a federal structure would therefore not necessarily produce ethnic division.
The member of the executive committee of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party also referred to the concept of internal colonialism, describing it as structural discrimination against ethnic groups within a country. “Balochistan is a clear example of this internal colonialism,” Shameli said, “a region where investment and economic activity exist but the local population is largely excluded from its benefits. If local governments had authority, such injustices would not continue.”
He criticised what he described as a Persian-centred ethnic state structure in Iran, arguing that it has deprived not only non-Persian nations but also Persian citizens themselves of democracy and equality. “This structure harms everyone,” Shameli said, “just as in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, where an Arab ruler oppressed even the Arab population.” According to Shameli, confronting authoritarianism requires not only political democracy but also the dismantling of internal colonialism and the genuine sharing of power among Iran’s nations.
In his concluding remarks, Shameli warned that national movements across different regions of Iran are growing stronger. “The time when only Kurds resisted central authority has passed,” Shameli said, “and today in Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Balochistan and other regions people have awakened.” He added that meaningful dialogue and mutual understanding among Iran’s nations will be essential for guiding the country toward a pluralistic and just democracy.