Issuance of heavy sentences for 70 young Arabs from Al-Ahwaz, following torture, brutal interrogations, and forced confessions
Ahwazi Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom
Issuance of heavy sentences for 70 young Arabs from Al-Ahwaz, following torture, brutal interrogations, and forced confessions
Amid the recent political and military turmoil, the authorities of the authoritarian Iranian regime, exploiting regional conflicts, have launched a new wave of targeted repression against the youth of the Arab nation of Al-Ahwaz. According to verified information received, the Tehran regime, taking advantage of the war climate, has carried out mass arrests, systematic torture, and ruthless judicial suppression against dozens of young Arabs from Al-Ahwaz.
In the latest case, 70 young Arabs from Al-Ahwaz — all aged between 23 and 28 — after weeks of interrogations under torture, were transferred to Ward 5 of Sheiban Prison in occupied Al-Ahwaz, and only 48 hours after transfer, without a fair trial and without access to an independent lawyer, were confronted with harsh court sentences.
Details of the issued sentences:
▪︎) 5 years imprisonment on fabricated charges of espionage for Mossad
▪︎) 1 year imprisonment for propaganda against the regime
▪︎) 2 years imprisonment for insulting Ali Khamenei
▪︎) 2 years travel ban
▪︎) 2 years of mandatory participation in so-called reform sessions affiliated with the IRGC and Basij
These sentences were issued by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in occupied Al-Ahwaz, presided over by the notorious Judge Ehsan Adibi Mehr.
Testimonies from sources close to the prisoners indicate that the detainees were subjected to various forms of physical torture, psychological threats, systematic humiliation, and in some cases even sexual assault. Confessions obtained under such conditions are devoid of any legal legitimacy.
The Iranian regime, under the cover of its military conflict with Israel and the neglect of the international community, has intensified its organized repression of the Arab society of Al-Ahwaz. The people of Al-Ahwaz, as a nation under occupation and structural discrimination, have been targeted by state security policies, social engineering, and cultural erasure.
The continued silence of Western powers, especially European governments, has paved the way for the continuation of these crimes and emboldened the Iranian regime in executing its repressive agenda.
The Ahwazi Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom strongly condemns these sentences and inhumane actions, and calls upon the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the European Union:
To immediately dispatch independent fact-finding missions to Al-Ahwaz and to prosecute and hold accountable the criminal officials of this authoritarian regime for systematic violations of human rights, particularly in the occupied land of Al-Ahwaz.
This report, by the Ahwazi Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom, is documented and published as an official record of ongoing crimes against the Arab nation of Al-Ahwaz.
Date of Publication: 31 July 2025 / 9 Mordad 1404
Ahwazi Human Rights Centre – United Kingdom
