Following a series of Ahwazi people protests, on Friday, December 8th and Friday, December 15th 2017 that titled as ” Dignity Friday ” in “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district of Ahwaz capital, against discrimination in the various vacancies’ recruitment, change of population in favour of Persian ( Persionazation of Arab land), confiscation and looting of land of Jalizi village’s farmers, Karoon River water transfer and degradation and drought of Ahwazi wetlands and rivers, the Iranian intelligence office has summoned and arrested huge Arab’s political, civil and cultural activists in recent days.
According to the human rights sources within Ahwaz quoted to Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) that “Abolfazl Al-Abbas “security base of the Revolutionary Guards Corps in “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district, has arrested Ahwazi activists on charges of participating in the protest rally on Friday, December 8th and 15th 2017, called as ” Dignity Friday ” in “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district of Ahwaz capital.
The Ahwazi demonstrations triggered after on Sunday morning the 3rd of December 2017, when Ahwazi people from the village of Jalizi has plowed their ancestral lands, during which the Army-dependent organization “ETKA”, claiming ownership of the land, took advantage of the government status as well as the cooperation of security forces attacked women and men who were working on the ground by using tear gas and batons intended to expel farmers from their agricultural lands.
Despite the ACHR has found out the number of detainees’ names that were arrested by Iranian intelligence service, where the Ahwazi sources said that the number of captives are more than 200 men from different part of Al-Ahwaz (by Al-Ahwaz the centre mean “Khuzestan, Bushehr, Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, south Ilam and areas attached to Fars, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad provinces).
The ACHR has identified and received the following names of detainees that were arrested by Iranian intelligence service:
- Younus Sarkhi, a 24-year-old from the “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district, is a cultural activist and a famous poet who has been arrested several times due to his civil activities and participation in the Eid al-Fitr ceremony as well as in the process of helping the flood victims that hit the north part Al-Ahwaz in April 2016. Younus Sarkhi was arrested by Abolfazl Al-Abbas security men on November 19th at Farahani Street.
- Hasan Betrani, a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district and Ali’s brother, who was killed in the Ahwazi Intifada in 2005. Hassan has been arrested several times on charges of participating in many protests that took place in Ahwaz. he was detained on Sunday December 17th
- Saleh Tamulli Torfi, a 36-year-old and resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi), was arrested by Abu Al-Fayz al-Abbas security base, on December 20th, at 10 pm Ahwaz time. Saleh had a 3-year prison term on charges of propaganda against the against the Iran regime on social networks. The Ahwazi activist in Branch 4 Revolutionary Court and by unfair trials, completed three years’ imprisonment in Karoon and Sheyban Prison.
- Abdullah Cheldawi son of Karim a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Sunday the December 17th
- Jaafar Cheldawi son of Karim a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district and brother of Abdullah (detainee number 4) were arrested on Sunday the December 17th
- Eissa Zaeri a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Tuesday the December 19th
- Mohammad Obeidawi son of Zehraw a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Tuesday the December 19th
- Walid Sawari a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Tuesday the December 19th
- Nader Rayhani (Alboghebeish) a 30-year-old is one of the most prominent activists in the city of “Al-Koura” and has been subjected to persecution so far, most notably an assassination attempt as well as multiple arrest for his cultural activity, arrested on December 12th
- Hadi Cheldawi son of Eidaw with 30-year-old a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Tuesday the December 19th
- Nasser Abyat son of Odeh with 32-year-old a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Tuesday the December 19th
- Ali Zergani in his 30 of his age while he was working in shop ( bike repair) were arrested on Wednesday the December 20th
- Mohammed Haidari son of Abduljabbar a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Friday the December 22nd
- Kazem Sari son of Taher a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Friday the December 22nd
- Qasem Sari so of Hatam with 24-year-old a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Friday the December 22nd
- Shaker Silawi a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Friday the December 22nd
- Ali Sari son of Qasem (number 15) a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Friday the December 22nd
- Adnan Sawari a resident of “Al-Thaorah (Alawi) district were arrested on Friday the December 22nd 2017.
The Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights condemns arbitrary arrests against Ahwazi activists and calls for their immediate and unconditional release, ending the suppression of peaceful gatherings, raising rate of discrimination in employment, stopping demographic change in Al-Ahwaz.
Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights