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Iranwire – The Second Branch of Dezful Revolutionary Court in southwestern Khuzestan province issued a death sentence last week against Malek Mousavi, a 23-year-old ethnic Arab man who was selling watermelons on the roadside.
Mousavi was charged with “armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic.”
Another individual named Abbas Khosorji received a 10-year prison sentence in the same case.
Mousavi and his friend Khosorji allegedly “set fire” to a base of the paramilitary Basij force.
After his father’s death, Mousavi was forced to abandon schooling and start working during his teenage years.
“In Ahvaz, many jobs are seasonal, particularly for Arabs who struggle to find stable employment,” a source close to Mousavi said. “Malek used to sell watermelons by the roadside during the watermelon season and worked as a laborer at other times.”
His first encounter with law enforcement occurred at the age of 16, when he was charged with propaganda against the Islamic Republic.
Despite his young age, Mousavi spent at least two months in solitary confinement at the detention center of the Intelligence Department.
“You’re aware of the treatment one receives at the intelligence detention center. Arabs, in particular, face torture and immense mental and physical pressure,” the source said.
Security agencies have routinely prosecuted civil activists defending Arab identity in Khuzestan.
Reports of severe prison sentences and forced confessions against these activists have been widely documented.
The source, who had experienced interrogation by security agents, said that the torture methods used include waterboarding and rape threats.
According to the source, Mousavi “spent three months in solitary confinement, where they coerced him into confessing.”
“He has been sentenced to death based on confessions obtained under torture,” the source added.
“This young man is genuinely innocent. Hailing from a poor family, he lacks the means to hire a lawyer for his defense, making him an easy target,” the source deplored.
