Iranian Television Confessions Project of Ahwaz Protesters
Ahwaz Human Rights sources have reported that detainees in various areas of Ahwaz (Khuzestan province) continue to suffer the consequences of the protests that took place in November, 2019.The November protests were a response to the death of a well-renowned Ahwazi-Arab poet, Hassan Heydari, whose death in November 10, 2019, had been suspected as a murder by the Iranian regime. The Arab population had demonstrated their public outrage by following his funeral with a mass demonstration condemning the Islamic Republic. It was the youths of the Arab community that had largely dominated the funeral and demonstrations, displaying their outrage by burning the Islamic Republic flag and carrying ethnic slogans. Arrests had already taken place during Heidari's funeral, yet, many youths awaited for a new wave of arrests by security authorities for their participation in the demonstration that followed it.
A large number of activists and ordinary people fled their homes until protests began to rise threefold across the country on November 24, when Arab youths took to the streets again to protest. The Iranian regime were provided with an opportunity to arrest many more Arab protesters, whilst, at the same time cause many others to flee their homes and become displaced. Many ordinary people attempt to abolish or arrest detainees through their trusted intermediaries during the custody of their children and their families by the Intelligence Service (SAS) or the Ministry of Intelligence (Wajah) through their trusted intermediaries. Although, many of these efforts were unsuccessful despite paying huge bribes.
However, what drew the attention and pursuit of independent activists and observers was that some detainees were released shortly after being arrested and released on bail.
After much investigation and questioning by Ahwazi-Arab human rights activists in the province, it was revealed that they had to make televised confessions and confessions during the "Reality .." program on the Twenty-Thirty News Network. In fact, the detainees were immediately released on the condition that they televise their confessions and their sentences shall be suspended once they pledge not to engage in any socio-political activity, with warnings that they could be detained for any reason. While executing the former sentence, they will face new and heavier sentences.
An Arab activist linked to the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization was able to meet with a trusted intermediary from security forces who received millions of dollars in news reports from families or through cancelling temporary detention orders. The activist questioned the reason for the release of some detainees and continued detention of detainees who responded that security forces were "pressing" and "promising" to put pressure on detainees to record television confessions. Some detainees accepted the offer to make a televised confession in exchange for being released, whilst, others remain in detention for refusing to accept those conditions. The interlocutor also added that some detainees have not been released despite accepting and confessing to television because security forces believe there are ambiguities in their case that I (the mediator) will not disclose.
The Arab-based human rights activist linked to the AHRO organization added that he had two meetings with one of the runaway Arab activists present at the Hasan Heydari funeral and participating in the November demonstrations. The young man reported that security forces had stormed not only his home, but the homes of his close relatives, more than 10 times, in order to arrest him. He says he cannot give himself up to security forces because he is certain that he will be subjected to severe torture and eventually sentenced to long prison terms. The young man, who is not interested in emigrating from the country, says he is trying to find a solution through a trusted middleman. He added that the security broker asked him for one billion Iranian riyals (about $ 8,000) and told him that in addition, he would have to surrender himself to the security forces to record televised confessions, as well as confessing against some of his friends to file a case.
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