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Comprehensive Human Rights Report
Issued by: Ahwazi Center for Human Rights
On the Occasion of April 20 – The Centennial of Iran’s Occupation of Al-Ahwaz
Title: “A Century of Iranian Occupation of Al-Ahwaz: A Record of Crimes and Violations of International Law”
Date: April 20, 2025 –

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Introduction

On April 20, 1925, Iranian military forces invaded the sovereign Arab state of Al-Ahwaz and captured its ruler, Sheikh Khazal Al-Kaabi, with British assistance. This invasion constituted a blatant violation of international law and the principle of national sovereignty.

Since that day, Al-Ahwaz has endured a century of brutal occupation and internal colonization. The successive regimes in Tehran have pursued systematic policies of ethnic cleansing, forced demographic change, cultural erasure, and economic exploitation against the indigenous Arab population.

On the centennial of this occupation, the Ahwazi Center for Human Rights issues this comprehensive report to document the most serious violations committed by the Iranian regime, supported by official international documentation and credible sources.

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 1.⁠ ⁠Military Occupation and Violation of the Right to Self-Determination
• Iran’s occupation of Al-Ahwaz is a direct violation of Article 1 of both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which affirm every people’s right to self-determination.
• Despite Iran’s ratification of these covenants, it continues to deny the Ahwazi Arab people their basic national and political rights.

References:
• ICCPR, Article 1 – OHCHR.org
• UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (1960)

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 2.⁠ ⁠Systematic Executions and Extrajudicial Killings
• Iran has one of the highest rates of executions globally and systematically uses the death penalty to suppress Ahwazi political and cultural activists.
• Notably, the Ahwazi poet Hashem Shaabani and teacher Hadi Rashedi were executed in 2014 after sham trials and forced confessions obtained under torture.

References:
• Amnesty International (2014) – Execution of Ahwazi Arabs
• Human Rights Watch (2012) – Iran: Halt Execution of Five Arab Men

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 3.⁠ ⁠The Mahshahr Massacre – November 2019
• During the nationwide protests in November 2019, Iranian security forces committed a horrific massacre in the city of Mahshahr, trapping unarmed Arab youths in a marsh and opening fire with heavy machine guns.
• Over 100 civilians were killed, with many forcibly disappeared or tortured in detention.

References:
• Reuters Special Report – Iran’s Bloodiest Day
• Amnesty International – Live ammunition used against Mahshahr protesters

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 4.⁠ ⁠Arbitrary Arrests and Cross-Border Abductions
• Iran routinely practices arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances of Ahwazi activists. Detainees are often held in unknown locations without legal representation.
• In recent years, Iranian intelligence has abducted several Ahwazi activists from countries like Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and the UAE — most notably Habib Asyud.

References:
• UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID)
• Amnesty International – Stop Cross-Border Abductions of Ahwazi Activists

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 5.⁠ ⁠Forced Displacement and Settlement Colonization
• Iran has implemented a systematic policy of land confiscation and demographic engineering in Al-Ahwaz, evicting indigenous Arabs and resettling Persian populations.
• The names of Al-Ahwaz’s cities and villages have been forcibly changed from Arabic to Persian — e.g., Al-Muhammarah to Khorramshahr, Al-Ahwaz to Khuzestan, and Al-Sous to Shush.

References:
• Minority Rights Group International – Ahwazi Arabs
• UPR Report on Iran (2014) – Ahwazi Human Rights Organization

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 6.⁠ ⁠Exiling Political Prisoners to Remote Iranian Cities
• Ahwazi prisoners are often transferred to distant cities like Mashhad, Tabriz, Arak, Kerman, and Zahedan, separating them from their families and subjecting them to further psychological pressure.
• This practice violates Rule 59 of the Nelson Mandela Rules, which affirms the right of prisoners to be held near their families.

References:
• United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules)

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 7.⁠ ⁠Exploiting Al-Ahwaz’s Resources to Fund Regional Terrorism
• Al-Ahwaz contains over 80% of Iran’s oil and gas resources, yet its people remain impoverished, unemployed, and underserved.
• Revenue from these resources is used to finance Iranian-backed militias including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Iraqi sectarian groups.

References:
• FDD – Iran’s Proxy War Economy
• US Congressional Research Service – Iran’s Foreign and Defense Policies

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 8.⁠ ⁠Deliberate Environmental Destruction
• The Iranian government has diverted rivers such as the Karun and Karkheh, dried wetlands, and destroyed farmlands, causing environmental disasters, widespread dust storms, and displacement.

References:
• Human Rights Watch – Iran’s Water Crisis
• UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Water and Food

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 9.⁠ ⁠Suppression of the Arabic Language
• Arabic, the mother tongue of the Ahwazi Arab population, is banned in schools and universities, and all education is forcibly conducted in Persian.
• This constitutes a violation of the cultural and linguistic rights of minorities, as protected under international law.

References:
• UNESCO – Linguistic Rights of Minorities

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10.⁠ ⁠Prohibition of Political and Civil Activity
• Iran prohibits all forms of peaceful political or civil organization among Ahwazi Arabs. No independent party or civil society organization is permitted to operate.
• Peaceful protests are met with live fire, arbitrary arrests, and brutal suppression.

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11.⁠ ⁠Retaliation Against Families of Ahwazi Activists Abroad
• The Iranian regime practices collective punishment by targeting the families of Ahwazi activists living abroad. Their relatives inside Al-Ahwaz are subjected to surveillance, arrests, and denial of education, employment, and travel documents.
• These tactics are used to pressure activists into halting their advocacy for the Ahwazi cause.

References:
• UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention – Reports on Iran
• Amnesty International – Persecution of Families of Dissidents

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Conclusion and Recommendations
1. The international community must recognize Al-Ahwaz as an occupied territory and hold Iran accountable under international law.
2. The United Nations must establish an independent fact-finding mission to investigate crimes committed by the Iranian regime in Al-Ahwaz.
3. Sanctions should be imposed on Iranian officials involved in crimes against humanity and systematic human rights violations.
4. The right of the Ahwazi Arab people to self-determination must be upheld, in accordance with the UN Charter.
5. Iran must be held accountable for using Al-Ahwaz’s resources to fund terrorism and destabilize the region.
6. The Iranian government must grant access to international media and human rights organizations to monitor the situation in Al-Ahwaz.
7. The right to education in Arabic and the protection of Ahwazi cultural identity must be guaranteed under international law.

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Ahwazi Center for Human Rights
Toronto – Canada
April 20, 2025

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