Critical Situation of Hamzeh Savari – Urgent Call for International Action
Ahwaz Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom
Critical Situation of Hamzeh Savari – Urgent Call for International Action
The Ahwaz Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom issues this statement to raise the alarm over the deteriorating and deeply concerning condition of Hamzeh Savari, an Arab political prisoner from Al‑Ahwaz. Savari, along with a group of political prisoners held in Ghezel Hesar Prison, was recently subjected to violent assault, transferred to solitary confinement, and has since launched a hunger strike in protest.
Hamzeh Savari, son of Lefteh, was arrested on 2 September 2005 (11 Shahrivar 1384) by Iranian regime security forces at the age of just 18. He was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court in Al‑Ahwaz – under the occupying regime – on fabricated charges including “moharebeh” (waging war against God), “efsad fil arz” (corruption on earth), and “actions against national security.” This sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment after internal and international pressure, and the charge of “efsad fil arz” was officially dropped from his case.
Over the past 20 years, Savari has endured imprisonment under inhumane and abusive conditions, including prolonged solitary confinement. He suffers from numerous serious health conditions, including chronic varicocele (requiring surgery that later relapsed), a Baker’s cyst behind his right knee, advanced arthritis, chronic stomach pain, and – more recently – pleurisy (inflammation of the lung lining). Despite repeated requests, he has been denied access to proper medical care.
According to confirmed reports, on 29 July 2025 (7 Mordad 1404), special security units at Ghezel Hesar Prison violently raided the political ward. Hamzeh Savari and other detainees were forcibly blindfolded, handcuffed, and transferred to solitary cells. In response to this repressive act, Savari began a hunger strike to protest the abuse and ongoing discriminatory policies. His family has not received any information about his health or whereabouts, causing extreme concern and emotional distress.
The Ahwaz Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom asserts that the treatment of Hamzeh Savari and other Arab political prisoners from Al‑Ahwaz is part of a broader policy of systemic repression, torture, forced isolation, and cultural erasure of the Arab nation of Al‑Ahwaz by the Iranian regime.
We call on the following international bodies:
United Nations Human Rights Council
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
International Committee of the Red Cross
All international human rights organisations
to take immediate and transparent actions to:
- Determine the current health status and location of Hamzeh Savari
- Send independent fact-finding missions to Iranian prisons, especially Ghezel Hesar
- Investigate and document widespread human rights violations in the occupied territory of Al‑Ahwaz
The Ahwaz Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom emphasizes that silence in the face of Hamzeh Savari’s suffering is tantamount to complicity in the structural crimes committed against the Arab people of Al‑Ahwaz.
This statement is issued for the purpose of international awareness, documentation in human rights records, and submission to relevant global institutions.
31 July 2025 / 9 Mordad 1404
Ahwaz Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom
