AZERBAIJAN DEPORTS IRANIAN ETHNIC AZERI ACTIVIST -

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 000445 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL IR AJ SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN DEPORTS IRANIAN ETHNIC AZERI ACTIVIST - AND OTHERS Classified By: Ambassador Anne E. Derse for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) According to Baku's APA News Agency, Iranian ethnic Azeri activist Javad Musavi was deported to Iran by officials of the Azerbaijani State Migration Service on April 12. According to media reports, Musavi applied for political asylum in Azerbaijan after fleeing Iran in January 2006, but his request was ultimately denied. Having lost a subsequent appeal in a Baku district court, Musavi was arrested on April 7 and deported to Iran on April 12. The local press has speculated that the Government of Azerbaijan (GOAJ) deported Musavi in order to "appease" the Iranians. ¶2. (C) A number of Iranian ethnic Azeri contacts report that the 26 year old Musavi - affiliated with the South Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement (SANAM) - was a relatively insignificant figure in the movement. In spite of this, Musavi's case aroused considerable attention in the press, to include foreign outlets such as The Economist and Agence France Presse. ¶3. (C) Comment: While the GOAJ has no interest in provoking the Iranians by appearing to harbor ethnic Azeri separatists, Musavi's low-level status within SANAM makes it unlikely that he was on Tehran's radar. Additionally, the GOAJ regularly arrests and deports undocumented foreigners, Iranians and non-Iranians alike. We will continue to monitor the situation. End Comment. DERSE