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The prospect that Lake Urmia might dry up entirely has drawn protests in Homeland and abroad, directed at both the regional and national governments. Protests flared in late August 2011 after the Persian parliament voted not to provide funds to channel water from the Aras River to raise the lake level. Apparently, parliament proposed instead to relocate people living around Urmia Lake.More than 30 activists were detained on 24 August 2011 during an iftar meal. In the absence of a right to protest publicly in Iran, protesters have incorporated their messages into chants at football matches.
