Iran’s Ahwazi Arabs Subjected To Mass Arrests As Protests Sweep Across The Province

Iran-HRM – Security forces have rounded up and detained at least 400 Iran’s Ahwazi Arabs since early April, including several youth and women, in crackdown on peaceful protests over insults by state TV against Iran’s Arab community. A good number of those arrested are under 20 years of age.

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Reports indicate plainclothes and intelligence agents went door to door to homes and stores, arresting people on a daily basis. In a recently received footage the anti-riot units are seen, resorting to violence in arresting the protesters.

Iranian authorities have not given a reason for the arrests or revealed the status and whereabouts of many detainees, placing them at increased risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

No reports of Ali Khasraji, 23, who was arrested on March 30.
Seyed Fallah Mousavi, 23, from the neighbourhood of Ein Do in the west of Ahvaz, was arrested on April 4.
Meysam Alvani, 19, was arrested in Ein Do district bazaar (Seyed Karim) on April 4.
Security forces arrested Mousa Khaledi, a teacher from the town of Ramshir, on April 5.
Mohammad Bayanat Bani, 17 from the neighbourhood of Kuy-e Alavi in Ahvaz was arrested on April 5 at 5.30 a.m. There is no news available on his status.
Nader Al-Bughabish was arrested on April 6 and was transferred to an unknown location.
Hossein Neisi, from the neighbourhood of Sousangerd in Khuzestan Province was arrested on April 7 and was transferred to an unknown location.
Khuzestan province, where much of Iran’s oil and gas reserves are located, has a large Arab population, estimated at between 2.5 and 5 million. Despite Khuzestan’s natural resource wealth, the province is plagued with severe socioeconomic deprivation and high levels of air and water pollution. Concentrated in poor urban outskirts lacking in basic facilities, many Iranian Arabs have alleged that the government systematically discriminates against them, particularly in employment, housing, access to political office, and the exercise of cultural, civil, and political rights. The inability to use their mother language as a medium of instruction for primary education is also a source of deep resentment and frustration.

Here are the names of some people reported arrested in Khuzestan Province since the beginning of protests over the insults by state TV against Iran’s Arab community.

Khadijeh Neisi
Ayesheh Neisi
Mahmoud Bayat Sayah
Khaled Mahavi
Mansour Amini
Vasam Savari
Shahab Na’ami
Hassan Kanani
Ali Khasraji
Jom’ah Savari
Suri Sa’alabi
Kazem Tarafi
Salman Abiat
Salah Baghlani
Ali Janadaleh
Sa’ad Navasari
Sajjad Jamei
Mohammad Jalil Konun
Assad Navasari
Mohammad Fatlavi
Foad Hardani
Fazel Avadi
Fazel Al-busabih
Ebrahim Al-buali
Sattar Al-busabih
Pirouz Al-busabih
Mohammad Al-bughabish
Hamid Al-bughabish
Reza Al-bughabish
Mehdi Al-bughabish
Mohammad Hezbian
Najem Savari
Naeim Hamidi