No mention of a Liberation Army of Azerbaijan, nor of a Liberation Army of Southern Azerbaijan, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, there are numerous references to a National Liberation Movement of Southern Azerbaijan (NLMSA) (RFE/RL Iran Report 14 Feb. 2000; Azadlyg 13 Jan. 2000; Zerkalo 20 Jan. 2000; Turan News Agency 14 Mar. 2000; Millat 20 Mar. 1999; Yeddi Gun 8 Aug. 2000). During an interview with Yeddi Gun, NLMSA "head" Piruz Dilenchi said that the organization's Baku committee had been in operation since 1991 (8 Aug. 2000). The Website of the Azerbaijani Turks Community in Britain also has a sub-directory entitled the South Azerbaijan Liberation Movement (n.d.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Azadlyg [Baku, in Azeri]. 13 January 2000. "Ethnic Azeri Dissident in Iran Regrets Azeri Leader's Attitude to His Appeal." (BBC Worldwide 13 Jan. 2000/NEXIS)

Azerbaijani Turks Community in Britain. n.d. "South Azerbaijan Liberation Movement." http://azerturk.50megs.com/whats_new.html [Accessed 5 Sept. 2001]

Millat [Baku, in Azeri]. 20 March 1999. "(Refile) Azeri Authorities Dancing to Iran's Tune, Opposition Paper." (BBC Worldwide 24 Mar. 1999/NEXIS)

RFE/RL Iran Report [Prague]. 14 February 2000. Vol. 3, No. 7. "Campaigns in Tabriz, Ardabil, and Isfahan ... " http://www.rferl.org/iran-report/ [Accessed 15 Feb. 2000]

Turan News Agency [Baku, in Russian]. 14 March 2000. "Some 300 Supporters of Azeri Dissident in Iran Receive Prison Sentences." (BBC Worldwide 14 Mar. 2000/NEXIS)

Yeddi Gun [Baku, in Azeri]. 8 August 2000. "Iranian Émigré Tells Azeri Paper Iran is Afraid of Azeri National Movement." (BBC Worldwide 8 Aug. 2000/NEXIS)

Zerkalo [Baku, in Russian]. 20 January 2000. "Paper Questions Role of Ethnic Azeri Dissident in Iran." (BBC Worldwide 21 Jan. 2000/NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB databases

Jane's Geopolitical Library (CD ROM). July 2001.

LEXIS-NEXIS

REFWORLD

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International

Center for Democracy and Technology

The Counter-Terrorism Page

Federation of American Scientists (FAS)

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

The International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT)

Iranian Left Oral History Project

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge].

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

NetIran Website. Encompassing IRNA 1993-98, Iran News 1993-99, Tehran Times 1995-98.

Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1999

RFE/RL Iran Report (Nov. 1998 - Aug. 2001)

The Terrorism Research Center

Search engines including:

Google

HotBot