Exile and Imprisonment for 3 Ahwazi Arab Cultural Activist

According to reports received by Ahwaz Human rights organization (AHRO) ; judge Poormohammadi of branch 4 of Islamic Iranian revolutionary court in Ahwaz sentenced 3 Ahwazi Arab cultural activists to prison and exile .
Issa Damani ,Mojahed Zergani and Hussein Heidari were arrested for “spreading propaganda against the Iranian regime” and establishing non-governmental organisations .
Each of the activists received 1 year prison sentence . In addition to this sentence, Issa Damani will be exiled to “Takab” city in western Azerbaijan .
Teaching Arabic language in a language school , creating a civil group to amend tribal laws and decrease the negative impacts of trial believes and traditions ,in addition to founding a charity to help the poor were the type of activity these 3 mena were involved in .
All three activists were arrested in the month of March 2017 and were held in an undisclosed detention center for a period of 1 month and a half
on Saturday 25 of May their sentence was announced .None of the activities these three gentlemen were involved in are in any way illegal , nor is in conflict with the international law or the laws of the country .
Iranian government suppresses any activity by the Arabs of Iran, even if it related to cultural and social being of the community such as charity and has been using the false accusation of “propaganda against the regime “to silence the civil society activists .
Prosecuting this class of cultural activist who direct their effort and energy towards peaceful activities to obtain their rights ,will bring disappointment to a whole society of people who believe civil activity could change the situation for Arabs in Iran and it may give place to violence if no measure should be taken to put an end to the atrocities committed by the Tehran against national minorities in Iran .
Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation condemns this screaming human rights violation against the 3 Ahwazi Arab cultural activists and calls for their immediate and unconditioned release .
We also call upon UN, HRW, Amnesty International and other national and international human rights groups to take an initiative and a stronger stand against anti-human policies of Islamic Republic Of Iran .
Ahwaz Human rights organization (AHRO)
29-6-2017

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Last Updated: 30 May 2017

Internal Self Determination for Ahwaz discussed in AUC forum

On April 24th, 2017 Executive Director of Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation (AHRO) participated in a conference titled “Managing Middle East Diversity: the Modalities” hosted by AUC forum (American University of Cairo)
The conference was held at the Middle East Forum of the American University where the situation in the Middle East in the light of Arab Spring was at the center of discussion .
The current situation in Iraq, Syria and Yemen and the peaceful alternatives available to address the rights of ethnicities living in Middle Eastern countries was debated during a two day period from 23-24th April in Cairo .
Speakers included , professors, researchers , directors of study centres and representatives of ethnic groups from Middle Eastern countries . Representative of Ahwazi Arabs, Amazigh , Yezidis , ethnic groups of Sudan shared their experience and expertise with the attendance .
The conference was also attended by delegates from various countries of the region including Egypt, Sudan , Tunisia, Lebanon, Turkey, Yemen and Ahwaz .

In the panel “national diversity in Iran “ ,Dr. Karim Abdian, Executive Director of Ahwaz Human Rights Organization presented a study “internal Self-Determination as a crisis management tool in resolving ethnic conflicts “.
Abdian presented Iran as a model of a multi-ethnic state , and suggested peaceful approaches to resolve the conflict of ethnicities , according to which indigenous, native population constituting the majority in their own regions , run their internal affairs without the interference of the central government ,this can be obtained through internal self determination.
In this study Abdian underlined the suppression the Iranian government exercises against different non-Persian ethnicities especially Arabs in Ahwaz such as ban on education in mother tongue , lack of political and administrative representation on both local and national level , extrajudicial execution , demographic changes , wide spread poverty among indigenous population despite the wealth of the region etc.
The study presented a peaceful solution for the problem of ethnicities in Iran.
It is expected that the recommendations in this conference be presented to the relevant decision making levels .

AHRO 24 April 2017

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Last Updated: 24 April 2017