Esmaeili was referring to a children’s program broadcast on Nov. 6 on Channel 2 of the IRIB, in which dialogue that mocked the Azerbaijani language, which is widely spoken in Iran, particularly in the northwestern provinces, was aired.
The IRIB chief must apologize for the insult and explain the reasons for it because insulting the people of Azerbaijan is tantamount to insulting all Iranians, the MP stressed.
Following public reaction to the program on social media in Iran, the issue reached governmental organizations as high up as the Interior Ministry and the Parliament.
IRIB Channel 2 Director Mohammadreza Jafari Jelveh then reprimanded the directors of the children`s department and broadcast office, firing two minor officials who had overseen the program.
The director of the program has said it was an educational program for children, using various local accents as an attraction. He added that no insult had been intended.
This is not the first controversy over Iranians who are ethnically Azerbaijanis. Back in 2006, Iran`s government suspended a state-owned newspaper after it ran a cartoon that led to riots among the country`s Azerbaijani community.
The cartoon in the "Iran" newspaper depicted a cockroach speaking the Azerbaijani language.
Iran`s press supervisory board banned the newspaper, and both the cartoonist and editor were arrested.
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