Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement
Encyclopedia
The Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement (SANAM) (GAMOH) is a Baku
-based separatist group that advocates for the separation of Iranian Azerbaijan from Iran
, and "unification of Azeris living on both sides of the Araxes River".
According to Roger Howard, "Sanam is almost unheard of inside Iran and there is no evidence at all that Chehregani commands any real following there"
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
-based separatist group that advocates for the separation of Iranian Azerbaijan from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, and "unification of Azeris living on both sides of the Araxes River".
Foundation and mission
It was founded in 1995 by Mahmudali Chehregani, and claims to represent the interests of Iran's Azerbaijani minority.According to Roger Howard, "Sanam is almost unheard of inside Iran and there is no evidence at all that Chehregani commands any real following there"