Aziz Art May 2016

Environmental protests
The prospect that Lake Urmia may
dry up entirely has drawn protests
in Iran and abroad, directed at both
the regional and national
governments.
Desalting of Urmia Lake
Protests flared in late August 2011
after the Iranian parliament voted
not to provide funds to channel
water from the Araz River to raise
the lake level. Apparently,
parliament proposed instead to
relocate people living around Lake
Urmia.
More than 30 activists were
detained on 24 August 2011
during an iftar meal.On 25 August,
several soccer fans were detained
before and after the Tabriz derby
match between Tractor Sazi F.C.
and Shahrdari Tabriz F.C.. for
shouting slogans in favor of
protecting the lake, including
"Lake Urmia is dying, the Majlis
[parliament] orders its execution".
In the absence of a right to protest
publicly in Iran, protesters have
incorporated their messages into
chants at football matches.
Further demonstrations took place
in the streets of Tabriz and Urmia
on 27 August and 3 September
2011.Amateur video from these
events showed riot police on
motorcycles attacking apparently
peaceful protesters.According to
the governor of West Azerbaijan, at
least 60 supporters of the lake were
arrested in Urmia and dozens in
Tabriz because they had not
applied for a permit to organize a
demonstration.
On May 5, 2016, Leonardo Di
Caprio posted a photo of "a
dilapidated ship dock remains on
dried up Lake Urmia" on his
Instagram page stating: "It used to
be the biggest salt lake in the
Middle East, but it now contains
five percent of the amount of water
it did two decades ago due to
climate change, dam construction
and decrease in precipitiation."