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Mass Arrests of Ahwazi Arabs and fate of most prisoners’ unknown

According to Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights credible sources several Sunni activists in Hamidieh were arrested by the Iranian Intelligence agency (also known as Vezarat-e Ettela’at Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran) early this month in which four of them were identified so far as the following:

  1. Mansour Shakhi 19
  2. Baqer Ebidawi 18
  3. Morteza Saedi 22
  4. Hamzeh Saedi 28

According to local sources on the 7th of July Mohammad Hardani 30 years old from Malashie were arrested by Ettela’at and transferred to an unknown location. Mohammad Hardani is the brother of Adnan Hardani who was shot and killed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC also known as Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enqelāb-e Eslāmi) on Wednesday 17th of May this year.

On the 30th of July Hossein Hellaly was arrested in Kut Abdullah and taken to an unknown location. His fate is still unknown.

The families of two detainees said: “The families of the detainees have not received any detailed or information about the location of their loved ones. No one gave them a clear answer. This situation has causing a great concern to their families. There is a high chance of torture force confessions”.

In a new criminal act by the Iranian Intelligence agency (also known as Vezarat-e Ettela’at Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran), they arrested dozens of Ahwazis in the city of Susa (current name; Shush) capital city of Al-Ellamiyah on Friday the 11th of August 2017. Ahwazi Arabs that were captured by the Ettela’at have not committed any crime.

ACHR found out from local sources in Al-Ahwaz, that most of the detainees are from Malashiya neighborhood west of Al-Ahwaz capital and were visiting their friends in Susa (Shush)city, but Ettela’at attacked the detainees and took them to unknown location. ACHR has identified the following names;

  1. Heydar Alsari with age of 37 from Malashiya neighborhood,
  2. Hassan Haiawi (Elhaei) with age of 28 from Malashiya neighborhood,
  3. Yousef Mazraeh
  4. Ayoub Khasraji
  5. Milad Afrawy with age of 22 from Malashiya neighborhood,
  6. Jawad Hashemi with age of 27 from Malashiya neighborhood,
  7. Yaser Silawi with age of 27 from Malashiya neighborhood,
  8. Riaz Zehairi with age of 21 from Malashiya neighborhood,
  9. Sajad Elhaei (Nasiri) with age of 22 from Malashiya neighborhood,
  10. Yousef Alkhasraji with age of 20 from Malashiya neighborhood,
  11. Shaker Sharifi with age of 27 from “Ein du “district,
  12. Abbas Sharifi with age of 21 from “Ein du “district,
  13. Ali Bawi with age of 23 from “Alawi” district,
  14. Ahmad Haidari from “Goldasht” district,
  15. Hassan Delfi with age of 23 from Malashiya neighborhood,

The number of detainees are more than that, we will update the list.

According to the report, all detainees have no known political activities, but some are having Islamic advocacy and human rights activities.

 In the similar context, the mysterious and unknown fate of the Ahwazi Arab citizen after his arrest that taken place on Thursday the 20th of July 2017.

Mr. Seyed Mousa Mosawi, an Ahwazi citizen, while he was at his working place, was arrested on the 20th of July 2017 by security forces in the Ahwaz Capital and transferred to an unknown location. Despite the passage of time and continuous pursuit of the family, there has been no news of the fate of the Ahwazi citizen.

Mr. Mosawi’s house, who is a Sunni and Arab citizen, was searched by security forces after his arrest. It is said that intelligence forces also seized Mr. Mousavi’s young daughter’s “tablet” in addition to a laptop such as cell phones, books, etc.

According to the source stated that the security forces presented at the time of the searching the house, refused to submit or even show a judicial order to the residents of the home.

In the weeks following the arrest of Mr. Mosawi, his family pursued a news of his fate. They had frequent referrals to security and judicial institutions that did not result in a specific outcome.

In recent days, the Setad Khabari (Information Office)’s headquarters has told the family in response to continued follow-up by the Mosawi family that the detainee has not been arrested by them, however, it has been handed over to the office in recent days and has filed a case in Branch 13 of the Revolutionary Court of the city.

Despite the claims of the staff of the Ministry of Intelligence headquarters, Branch 13 of the Ahwaz Revolutionary Court of has also rejected to reveal the fate of prisoner to the family.

An informed source about Mr. Mosawi said that “Mr. Mosawi is married and has two children. he works almost every day from 7 am to 9 pm.”

Two Ahwazi Arab defendants introduced themselves to Sheyban Prison because of their inability to deposit a bail that were made against them by the Iranian Revolutionary Court in Ahwaz capital.

Mr.  Ahmad Neysi (Tamimi), a 30-year-old married and with 5-year-old child resident in Ahwaz, introduced himself to Sheyban Prison on Saturday, the August 21 2017, because of his inability to deposit a bail.

Ahmad Neysi was arrested in Ahwaz capital and transferred to Tehran’s Evin Prison in March 2016 by Iranian cyber police, in connection with activities in social networks along with others three Ahwazis, Tariq Echresh, 27, Mohammad Mahawi, 28, and Majed Echresh, 25. They been transferred to Ahwaz Sheyban Prison after a month of torture.

The case of four Arab citizens was investigated by Ahwaz Revolutionary Court Branch 2 headed by Judge “Zare”, and after four months of imprisonment in Sheyban Prison, two billion Rials were issued for each of them and their release. Soon after their release, the court has issued two years’ imprisonment for each of the defendants, that was rejects by Ahwazi prisoners due to unfair decision.

In the meantime, Hossein Hardan, 23 years old, resident of “Alawi” district for the same reason, introduced himself to this Sheyban prison.

Hossein Hardan was arrested on July 16, 2015 by the security forces ‘s Abolfazel al-Abbas branch in Ahwaz capital. after 45 days of suffering a difficult situation of torture in the detention, he was taken to Sheyban Prison.

Hossein Hardan was charged in Branch 3 of the Iranian Revolutionary Court in Ahwaz capital under the chairmanship of Judge “Masoud Tahmasbi”, charged with “acting against the security of the country through contacts with opposition organizations outside the country” and “propaganda against the regime”. After a 7-month stay in Sheyban Prison, he finally got a two-billion-rial bail to allow temporary release.

In strange and ambiguous decision made by the Iranian revolutionary court in Ahwaz capital, two Ahwazi prisoners were issued an imprisonment sentences a total of 18 years and five months.

Sayed Morteza Mousawi born on 1991 and Jasem Kaab born on 1995, two Ahwazi Arab political activists from the city of Susa (Shush), Ahmedabad district, were arrested by the Iranian intelligence forces in February of 2017. the Revolutionary Court of the Ahwaz capital has issued a verdict to them in late July 2017.

The Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced Sayed Morteza Mousawi and Jasem Kaab to the charges of acting against Iranian national security and sentenced Sayed Morteza Mousavi to 3 years and five months and Jasem Kaab sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The two Ahwazi Arab activists from Susa had been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture for several weeks in the intelligence detention centre in order to expose forced confessions. Both of them are currently in the Quneitra (Dezful) prison of Fajr.

 Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights

Written by Hossein Bouazar

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