To the United Nations, the international al community and human rights organizations.

Following the armed attack on the military parade held on Saturday 22 September 2018, The city of Ahwaz and various parts of Ahwaz region (Khuzestan) have been witnessing  extensive and systematic arrests of large number of Arab youth by the IRGC and its militias.

While the authorities admitted that only 22 people were arrested for alleged links to the perpetrators, local activists and sources confirmed  that the number of detainees has exceeded 300 in the past few days including activists, intellectuals and ordinary citizens.

While the details of the attack and those behind it remain unclear, there is a growing skepticism about the involvement of the government , especially the IRGC intelligence apparatus, in complicity in this attack for political reasons related to internal and external crises.

The authorities have been carrying out a massive campaign of intimidation in the province of Ahwaz, which has been witnessed since the beginning of this year following the  peaceful protests in Ahwaz and all over Iran . Protests were focused on pressing demands such as expensive and scarce drinking water, unemployment, dust storms, the spread of pollution and the transfer of water out of region.

The Iranian government as in the past exploited similar attacks  in order to militarize the region and start a new campaign of suppression , which includes executions, and arrest of political and  peaceful cultural activists to eliminate the occasional demonstrations against the government's discriminatory policies and racism against the Arab people.

The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization while reaffirming its condemnation of all forms of violence and terrorism, reiterates its firm position of principle of peaceful and democratic activity, strongly condemns the systematic state terrorism practiced by the Iranian government  against the Ahwazi people and all peoples in Iran.

Iran government attempts to link every internal movement with foreign conspiracies in order to justify repression and escape from the entitlements of the masses demanding their rights, which includes stopping government spendings on regional wars and expansionist ambitions and the protection of their rights to freedom and decent living.

On the background of such situation the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO) , while condemning the repressive practices and arrests carried out by the Iranian authorities, declares that it stands by the Arab Ahwazi detainees and warns against the consequences of torturing them to earn forced confessions, as the Iranian security services have always practiced.

It also calls on the international community, organizations and bodies, especially those under the umbrella of the United Nations, to condemn these arrests and to exert all their humanitarian efforts to stop these mass arrests and violations of human rights and to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from succeeding in its plans to eliminate the voices calling for social justice.

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization

26/9/2018

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Last Updated: 26 September 2018

According to reports received by Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation (AHRO) Ali Manbouhi , Ahwazi Arab political prisoner health has deteriorated severely. Manbouhi is sentenced to 25 years in prison for political activities . And has spend 18 years of the sentence .He suffers from heart disease and is in need of medical care and potentially a surgery.
During the past 18 years Ali Manbouhi was transferred between notorious “Karun” prison, Central prison of Baft and Ahwaz Markazi (central) prison in Sheiban. 
Mr.Manbouhi suffers from chronic illness due to difficult prison conditions and lack of basic living conditions, such as unhealthy eating and sanitation and lack of adequate medical care in prison.
The authorities also refuse his transfer to a hospital, although doctors visiting the prison have confirmed his need for a heart operation.
According to United Nation resolution 45/111 on “Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners”: “ Prisoners shall have access to the health services available in the country without discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation.”
The Ahwazi Human Rights Organization calls upon the Iranian authorities to respect the right of prisoners and to allow the transfer of Mr. Ali Manbouhi to medical facilities to receive the necessary attention. AHRO also urges  UNHRC to take practical steps toward addressing the widespread human rights violation committed against Ahwazi Arabs and other minorities in particular and Iranian nation in general. 
AHRO holds the Iranian government responsible for the safety and sanity  of Mr.Manbouhi until his release. 
Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
16 May 2018

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Last Updated: 16 May 2018

A number of activists and families of  Ahwazi Arab protestors gathered in front of the office of Abdul Karim Farhani, member of the Board of Experts of the Iranian leadership and the office of Mohammad Ali Jazairi, representative of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Ahwaz, to follow up on their families cases and asked for their release.
Activists told Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation that the relatives of the detainees have said that their family members were innocent and one of the detainees is not even an Arab but a Persian guest form the city of Arak in Markazi province who had wore the Arabic traditional clothes as a sign of friendship with his Arab friend. He has been arrested in the street and there are no news about his whereabouts. 
The son of the Ahwazi Arab host who is mentally disabled by Down syndrome was also arrested in “Malashieh” area.
 Another individual was a soldier who was serving his military service in Northern Iran, in the city of Rasht and was detained while visiting his family during the spring break. This soldier was arrested while walking in Ahwaz market.

The rest of detainees were arbitrarily arrested and were accused of participating in April demonstrations of Ahwaz. 
Ahwaz Human Rights Organisations condemns the continuation of the detention of Ahwazi Arab men and women and calls for the international community and human rights organisations to exercise pressure on the Iranian government for their immediate and unconditional release. 

Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation 
17April201

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Last Updated: 17 April 2018

According to AHRO’s primary statistics 12 days into the peaceful demonstrations in Ahwaz, 250 Ahwazi Arabs have been detained for participating in peaceful demonstrations.
Ahwazi Human Rights Organisation strongly condemns the crackdown of demonstrations and the arrests of hundreds of Arab citizens in Iran and expresses their deepest concerns for the safety and well-being of the detainees.
Previous experiences have confirmed that the Security service and Intelligence treat detainees with outmost brutality in addition to inflicting physical and mental torture, severely abusing their human rights.
Unfortunately, the Iranian government has chosen once again to take the path of violence and suppression in order to confront the masses and during the past 2 weeks, Ahwaz has turned to a military barracks and collective and arbitrary arrests have been taking place, constantly ,for days.    

The following video has been sent to AHRO by a citizen journalist and shows a young Arab male in Kut-Abdallah being violently forced into a police car by dozens of policemen and government agents disguised in civilian clothing.

The following is the list of detainees among which are women and minors:

1-Adanan Khasraji

2-Saeed Nawaseri

3-Mohammed Hezbian

4-Mohammad Jalil Kanoon

5-Asad Nawaseri

6-Mansoor Tamimi (Sayyahi area)

7- Khalid Mahawy (Akhar- Asphalt area)

8-Mahmood Beit Sayyah (Akhar- Asphalt area))

9-Khadija Neissi (Shuaybieh area)

10-Aysha Neissi (19 years old -Shuaybieh area)

11-Wisam Sawari (19 years old- Sepidar area)

12- Ali Khasraji (23 years old - arrested in Ahwaz along with 4 of his friends on March 30th )

13- Shahab Na’ami ( Khaledieh area “Kianpars”)

14- Hasan Kenani ( Khaledieh area “Kianpars”)

Detainees of 31st March 2018  in Ma’ashur “Mahshahr”

15-Foad Hardani

16-Fazel Albosubeih

17-Hussein Albosubeih

18-Ibrahim Al-buali

19-fazel Awadi

20- Mohammad Alboghobeish

21-Sattar Albosubeih

22-piruz Albosubeih

23-Hamid Alboghobeish (Zubeidi)

24- Reza Alboghobeish

25- Mehdi Alboghobeish

Detainees of 1st April 2018 in Kut-Abdallah-Ahwaz

26-Sajjad Jamei’i (25 years old)

27- Mohammad Fatlawi (27 years old)

Detainees of Abadan in Selech area:

28-Salah Baghlani

29- Ali Baghlani

Detainees of April 1st 2018 - Thawra area of Ahwaz

30- Adnan Bayanan Sakini (37 yeas old)

31- Jom’a Sawari (32 yeas old)

32- Suri Saalebi (Sawari)- (47 years old)

33-Kazem Turfi (40 years old)

34- Nader Alboghubeish arrested in Taleghani area of Ahwaz on April 6th 2018

Detainees of march 31st 2018 in Hamidieh

35-Ali Abidawi bin Taleb

36- Ali Abidawi bin Warwar

Detainees in Ahwaz city

37- Sajjad Sawari bin Ziab (32 years old, married from Thawra area arrested on April 5th )

38- Sadeq Sawari (from Thawra area arrested on April 2end 2018)

39- Basem Sawari (from Thawra area arrested on April 2end 2018)

40- Abdul-al Doraqi ( from Cantex area- 50 year old poet , arrested on April 5th 2018 ,severely tortured )

41-Majed Zuheiri Bin Karim ( Thawra area)

42-Saeed Sawari ( Arrested on April 3rd 2018 )

43-Khaledieh Turfi Bint Hamid Al-Asi ( from Camp - Polonia “camppolo” area arrested on April 4th 2018)

44- Ali Ebeyyat Bin Semij

45-Mustafa Sawari ( from Thawra area arrested on April 5th 2018)

46- Naeem Hamidi ( Journalist)

Demonstrations started as protest against Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) following a program in which Arab’s existence in Iran and their identity was ignored, once again. Demonstrators demanded an apology and until now neither IRIB nor channel 2 producers issued an apology. 

Demonstrations over the insulting TV show has turned to full scale manifestations on a daily basis against all forms of racism and marginalisation against ethnic Arabs of Iran. Protesters expressed their disapproval of Tehran’s plans of demographic change that has been in work for years through influx of immigrants from other areas and excluding indigenous Arab population from the job market in Iran’s richest areas.

The following are among the demands of Ahwazi Arabs: an end to unemployment and exclusion from social, political and economic life, end to transfer of Karun river, stop the destruction of environment and change the security approach of Tehran toward Ahwaz which has turned this region to a military barracks and the release of all political and cultural activists who are currently in detention.

Demonstrators also demand the right to establish independent newspapers and news agencies in Arabic, improvement of living conditions in this region and to allocate part of the oil’s revenue to the reconstruction and development of the region and the fight against poverty and marginalisation.

The Ahwazi Human Rights Organisation affirms the right of  Ahwazi Arabs to continue their peaceful demonstration and calls for  an end to the repression of these legitimate protests, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees.




Ahwaz Human Rights Organization

7 April 2018

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Last Updated: 09 April 2018

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization condemns the arrest of Ahwazi Arabs who have been peacefully demonstrating against racism and discrimination for the past week in different cities of Ahwaz / Arabistan.

By April 2, 2018, a week had passed since peaceful Ahwaz uprising against racism, marginalisation and continued persecution and discrimination exercised by Iranian government and its media, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) . The Iranian  authorities responded to the demands of  masses by sending anti-riot forces and have turned Ahwaz to a military barrack.

In recent days, military reinforcements have been dispatched from Lorestan province (North of Ahwaz) and neighbouring provinces. Internal security units and riot police were seen heading towards the area as protests continued in various cities of Ahwaz where rallies continued to the night and people protested against the authorities' practices and demanded the release of political prisoners.

According to the reports of the Ahwazi human rights organization, raids were carried out in various cities and about 100 Arab citizens, including women and girls, were arrested on charges of participating in peaceful protests. The names will be published as soon as they are confirmed.

The protests started after Arabs were insulted on national television. On the second day of the Newruz, on March 23, Channel 2 broadcasted a children’s show with a national music “Ey Iran” in the background  to show  Iran's ethnic diversity, but the Ahwazi Arabs were not on the map, and instead a Luri male and female doll was placed on Ahwaz’s map.

Ahwazi Arabs who have been witnessing government’s efforts for demographic change for years through forced migration of marsh Arabs out of marshlands following oil projects, and influx of immigrants from central areas of Iran to Ahwaz for job opportunities in heavily industrialised and polluted Arab cities in short  felt threaten as each day they become more of a minority in their own homeland.

Arab activists initially launched an online campaign on websites, and applications such as Telegram and Instagram to demand an apology from the Arab Ahwazi people by radio and television officials but there was no response. The Ahwaz deputies in the Iranian parliament and the council of experts, including Ayatollah Abbas Ka’abi, also called on government agencies to apologise, but none of the government officials took the responsibility.

For these reasons and other evidence such as the accumulation of problems and water and air pollution crises and the continuation of plans to eliminate the Arab people of Ahwaz, people been taking the streets for the past week . 

The first protests began with a gathering of thousands of Arab citizens in the city of Ahwaz, on Wednesday morning March 28, 2018, in front of IRIB building( Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) in Ahwaz demanding an apology.

In the following days, the protests spread to other cities such as Abadan, Muhammerah, Ma’ashour, Falahiya, Khawain, Koura, Shaiban, Al Ain, Qal'at Kanaan, Kut Abdullah, and other regions to denounce the anti-Arab wave of racism  in Ahwaz particularly and in Iran generally. 

In several rallies Iranian security forces backed by units of riot police and the Revolutionary Guard Corps , attacked the demonstrations, threw teargas and beat demonstrators to disperse them.

Demonstrations continued until the early hours of Sunday, amid reports that Farhani Street was closed and cordoned off by security forces, police and riot police and the arrest of a large number of unknown youths.

Security forces have launched raids in various cities and the number of detainees has so far reached more than 100.

On the sixth day of protests, in a video recorded by a citizen journalist we see a security force taking off an Arab man’s #Kufieh and #Agal from his head at a checkpoint. Other shapes of racism has been witnessed in different cities. Ahwazi Arabs who have been wearing their traditional clothes in the street as a sign of protest say they feel threatened when they go out wearing #Dishdasheh these days. 

The Ahwazi Human Rights Organization condemns these practices and this repressive behaviour and  demands that the Iranian authorities respect the right of the people for a peaceful assembly to express their demands in accordance with the laws and international treaties and most importantly calls for the release of all detainees.

 AHRO calls upon United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and all other human rights organisations to report on the matter and pressure Iranian government to stop its destruction of  indigenous marsh Arabs  lands and source of income in Iran and put an end to systematic discrimination and racism practiced  by the Iranian government and its media IRIB. 

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization

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Last Updated: 03 April 2018

Ahwaz court summoned journalists Na'im Hamidi and Sayed Nishan al-Abushkha following their criticism of the weak performance of the Department of Education in Ahwaz region (Khuzestan province). 
According to local media in Ahwaz, these journalists have criticised the catastrophic conditions of schools, high rates of failure, employment of teachers emigrated from other provinces at the expense of unemployment in the region.In addition they condemned discriminator masseurs imposed on Arab educators. 
Director of the Department of Education in Ahwaz region (Khuzestan) Mohammad Taqi Zadeh, filed a complaint against Hamidi and Albushuka, accusing them of “spreading lies and misleading the public opinion. 
Naim Hamidi, director of the website "Asr Ma (our era)," and Mr. Nishan Albushukka journalist and satirist have criticised Department of education  for the employment of more than 3,200 from outside of the province under temporary contracts. 
The director of Department of Education of the province, Mohammad Taqizadeh, is the 11th director who replaced Rahman Falahi, the former director of the education. Since he took the position in December 2013, situation of education in Ahwaz has declined and currently holds the 31st place on the national level. In addition, comparing to last year there has been an increase of 650,000 in the number of illiterates. 
The so-called phenomenon of “Kaneks Schools”  appeared in the period of his administration in the province .These schools that are simply metal containers with a door are used as a substitute in the absence of a school building, however not suitable for the hot weather condition in Southern and cold areas in the northern provinces. 
At the beginning of the current academic year, due to the lack of commitment by the the Education Department to secure schools, the residents of the village of Masoudi in the city of Darkhoveyn with the help from charity bought a kaneks and is currently being used as a school.
According to Taqizadeh himself, there are more than 600 metal kanekses used as schools in the province, while local media reports indicate that there are several abandoned school buildings that are neglect by the Department of Education.
In this context, Abdul Rahim Tabashi, Advisor to the Governor of Ahwaz in the free zone of Muhammarah and Abadan, held Takizadeh the full responsibility for the failures and shortcomings of education in the province.
The discriminatory measures of Takizadeh are not limited to construction and employment, but also manifest itself in his personal stands.
When the pupils of an elementary school were penalised by their teacher for speaking Arabic in the class despite the widespread protests from the families and civil society activists Taizadeh has defended the teacher’s decision.He also did not express any protest on the subject of turning a deserted school building into a police station months earlier. 
Ahwazi Human Rights Organization condemns the summoning of journalists Naim Hamidi and Sayed Nishan Albushukha to the court, denouncing the policy of threatening and muzzling journalists and civil society activists in Ahwaz and demanding respect for the freedom of opinion and the voices of those who combat racism and work for the advancement and corrections in education.

Ahwazi Human Rights Organization
Monday, February 5, 2018

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Last Updated: 07 February 2018

The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization has sent a list of 277 Arab citizens of Ahwaz, Lor and Bakhtiyans who were arrested during the wave of arrests in the country.
Based on this list, which reached the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization on Sunday, 7-1-2018, it appears that of the 278 people who were arrested in different cities of Ahwaz governorate (Khuzestan)
There are 207 detainees from the city of Ahwaz and 26 of the evangelists and 17 of the Abadan, 19 from Muhammarah, 7 from falahiya, one in Hamidiya and another in Al Huwayzah.
Two demonstrators in the city of Idhaj and two others were also killed in the city of Masjid Sulaiman due to the bloody repression of security forces by peaceful demonstrators.
According to official figures, the number of killed protests in Iran, 22 people since the outbreak of demonstrations on Thursday, December 28, 2017 and arrested more than a thousand citizens and activists said that the number of dead and detainees times the figures announced by the Iranian authorities.
The different cities in Al-Ahwaz, such as Ahwaz, Abadan, Muhammara, Mahshour, Idhaj,  masjid Sulaiman and Hamidiya, have witnessed protests in conjunction with other regions in Iran against policies of discrimination, poverty, unemployment, poor economic conditions, and against expansionist policies of the Iranian regime in the region. The denial of national rights and the double deprivation of Arabs.
The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization condemns the suppression of these peaceful protests and the killing of demonstrators throughout Iran and demands the unrestricted release of the detainees and stresses that the Iranian government should respect the legal right of people to demonstrate peacefully and end the repression and arrest of demonstrators.
It also welcomes the position of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, on the publication of a statement in which he deplores the killing of demonstrators and called on the Iranian regime to respect the right of the Iranian people to freedom of opinion and peaceful assembly. It also welcomes the decision of the High Commissioner of the United Nations Human Rights Organization on Tuesday, 3 January 2018, regarding Iran's demand to prevent violence and respect freedom of opinion.
The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization renews its recommendation to the demonstrators throughout Iran, especially in the province of Ahwaz, especially falahiya, Abadan, Tostar, idhaj, Mahshour and others, by demonstrating and protesting peacefully and continuing their demands against the repressive policies of the Iranian regime to restore their basic rights, freedom and democracy, Politicians and racial discrimination against this approach.

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
7 January 2018

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Last Updated: 09 January 2018

The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization "AHRO" received pictures of the demonstrations that broke out in Alawi neighborhood in the city of Ahwaz on Friday 15 December 2017 against the new water transfer projects, the continued confiscation of lands, arbitrary practices, oppression and marginalization against the Ahwazi Arabs. The pictures showed banners calling for the intervention of the United Nations, and asking help from UNPO to be voice of voiceless people and condemned what is happening against the Ahwazi Arabs by the Iranian authorities. Ahwazi Arab citizens also protested against the new project of transferring water from Karun River the central Iranian provinces. Representative of the region in the Iranian parliament earlier leaked a secret letter from the head of Iran's Environment Organization that authorized transferring the amount of one billion meter cubed of water in addition 3 billion meter cubed of water. These are official numbers, but activists claim that there are secret projects and the numbers are higher and that the government never gave the collective number of the amount of water that has been transferred every year. Diverting the river lead to destruction of the agricultural lands and sand storms and it is worth mentioning that according to "WHO" Ahwaz city in 2015 was the most polluted city in the world. In protest, the Ahwazis condemned these projects, which destroy the environment and chanted slogans against the racist policies of the Iranian government especially the policies pushing for demographic change within the region. They chanted "Land of Arabs for Arabs" denouncing the occupancy policy of agricultural land in the jelazi in Elam city by the military.These demonstrations are part of a campaign organized by activists on social media to protest racist policies and practices towards Ahwazi Arabs in the region.
Ahwaz Human Rights Organization "AHRO"
19 Dec 2017

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Last Updated: 19 December 2017

According to latest reports on Jalizi village incident, 60 villagers including women, are still being detained. In recent days, security forces have been attacking the men and women farmers of the village who refused to give up their land to army affiliated organization named "ATKA". the farmers were protesting against the siege of their land by Iranian army.
Click here to watch the video.
The army attacked the farmers with tear gas and sticks. Some women were hospitalized and iranian security forces arrest the women from the "Dehloran"hospital where they were receiving medical care.
On Monday 4th of December 2017  security forces entered the village with army vehicles and began random arrests of villagers in the street. They arrested more than 60 people. The clash escalated between the security forces and some member of other Arabic tribes that came to help their family members. 

The name of the detainees: 
1-Jassim Jalizi 

2. Mrs Jassim Jalizi(his wife) 

3-No'a Hilo Jalizi

4- Tarfayeh Jalizi

5. Hasneh Zomaid Jalizi
6. Hemida Jalizi
7. Hamideh Chabawi

8-Seyyed Shabib al-Haei 

9-Abu Bass Jalizi 

10-Sabah Jalizi

11-Jassim Jalizi

12-Zaghir Jalizi

13. Seyyed Sabahi al-Haei

14-Hamid-e-Qa'ab

15. Jassim Bastush Jalizi
16. Saghir Khesjari

17- Abbas Karim Alshaye Jalizi 

18-Jassam Muhammad Sarkhi

19-Ali Maleh Jalizi
According to the villagers in Dechet al-Abbas, the village of Jalizi is still under siege by security forces.
On Sunday as the farmers of “Up-Jalizi" village were working on their lands, the "ETKA" organization, which is affiliated with the Iranian Army, entered the village and with the assistance of governmental security forces attacked working female farmers.
"ETKA" organization had already confiscated 4000 ha of land previously owned by Arab farmers and today seeks to seize the remaining 1000 ha. From 1986 this village was a part of "Khuzestan" province which is inhabited by Arab majority, but currently it is part of the "Elam" province.
Ahwaz Human Right Organization "AHRO" strongly condemns the state terror of Iranian government and the violence against the farmers and inhabitant of the "Jalizi" village and calls for immediate and unconditioned release of the detainees and demands the farmlands to be handed over to their owners.

7 Dec 2017 
Ahwaz Human Right Organization "AHRO"

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Last Updated: 07 December 2017

The Iranian authorities released the Ahwazi-Arab women political prisoner "Fahmia Ismaili" from the Yasuj prison  after 12 years on charges of political activities for the right of Ahwazi-Arabs.

Fahima Ismaili (Badawi), was a former teacher in Ahwaz. She was arrested on 28 November 2005 when she was eight months pregnant along side with her husband, "Ali Mutairi," also a political activist.
A month after her arrest, her daughter "Salma" was born in the detention center of the Ministry of Intelligence in Ahwaz. After that, the Revolutionary Court of Ahwaz sentenced her to 15 years in prison and was taken to the prison of Yasuj.
A year after their arrest, on December 19, 2006, the husband, Ali Mutairi, was executed on charges of fighting God and threatening the national security and belonging to an Ahwazi political organisation
The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO) is welcomes the release of "Fahima Ismaili" and calls on the Iranian authorities to release other political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Ahwaz and entire Iran.


AHRO

7 December 2017

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Last Updated: 08 December 2017