Iran confiscates hundreds of Ahwaz Arabs’ agricultural and residential land

Numerous false government arguments raise when the Iranian authorities committing new violations against Ahwazi Arabs and confiscated hundreds of hectares of Ahwaz Arabs’ agricultural and residential lands.

Most of Ahwazi Arab farmer’s land been confiscated under several deceptive pretext where Ahwazis lost their land in Sugar can project (more than 130 thousand hectares) passing by “Khameniei” project that confiscate 550 thousand hectares of Ahwazi Arab land and recently a total of 44 thousand hectares of Jufir area near to Huwyzeh city to be given to three thousand and 200 Persian settlers of so called “war veterans” where farmers of the region are begging the local authorities to appeal to their complaints against the Revolutionary Guards companies involved in these issues.

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Iranian authorities announced the confiscation of more than 500 hectares of Ahwazi agricultural land in various area of Al-Ahwaz since the beginning of this year under the pretext of the takeover by the owners without possessing legal documents (Al-Ahwaz state during the reign of Prince Sheikh Khazaal) to prove their ownership of the land.

According to the Iranian media that 38 hectares of agricultural land in “ra’as Albahar” city south of the Ahwaz capital been confiscated on July 26 of this year, under penalty of, “guarded property” law. Under the “guarded property” law, 99% of the Ahwazi land is owned by the Iranian regime and it is not entitled to any Ahwazi citizen for planting or to create a house without the approval of the Iranian authorities.

In a related context Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced the they have confiscation of 15 hectares of agricultural land in the city of “Dour entash”, north of Ahwaz capital in preparation for the establishment of a camp sheltering for the Basij forces who comes from Mazandaran province within the project light convoys -to visit the border areas between Ahwaz and Iraq.

On the other side of the Iranian regime confiscated 11 hectares of agricultural land in the “Hor Alazim” area west of Ahwaz capital on July 17, also the confiscation of 118 hectares of agricultural land, without specifying its geographical position of them on 4 July.

In the parallel context Iranian Revolutionary Guards has confiscated 143 hectares of agricultural land in the north of Ahwaz capital on 31 May, in which 73 hectares in the district of “Ramiz”.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards has confiscated 47 hectares in the Asaloyeh city and 40 hectares in Sheikh Saad Island in addition to the the confiscation of 12 hectares in the district Khormoj on 1st of May.

Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights has interviewed an Ahwaz Arab refugee named as Khaled Faraj pour who has recently seeked asylum in Denmark. Mr. Khaled with age of 25 and was living in Kian Abad in Ahwaz capital which spoke about how their 200 hectares been confiscated by Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

“We had 200 hectares’ agricultural land near to Bawi village with Shah document and when my grand father went to change the document to Islamic Republic system, the authorities has giving my grand father the document of 40 hectares only. “Khaled stating.

“We migrate from village to Ahwaz capital (Kian Abad) and the revolutionary guards has also confiscated the remaining land (40 hectares) and build “Fajr” garrison on our land. My father has done his best through court and got paper that the land belongs to us where the family found threat from intelligence service to stop their chasing against their land otherwise going to put them in prison for long term.” Khaled continuing.

“We stopped for while and then Khaled and his brother went for demonstration opposite of Khuzestan governor to protest against their lost rights where Iranian intelligence service has arrested Khaled on late August 2015”.

Khaled and his family were hopeless to get their land back up to written of this report as they were being threatening by intelligence service where large number of Ahwazi Arabs are there that their land been confiscated by revolutionary guards and they can not express it due to security reasons.

Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights believes that the goal of land confiscation committed by the Iranian authorities against Ahwazi Arab people in the country is to bring a demographic change in the region and bring more regime’s loyalists into Arab areas.

Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights

15-08-2016