Speech of the Ahwazi Center for Human Rights at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva
Speech of the Ahwazi Center for Human Rights at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva
Delivered by Dr. Faisal Al-Ahwazi
Mr. President,
Esteemed representatives of the respected nations,
Colleagues from civil and humanitarian organizations,
I address you today to draw your attention, and that of the international community, to an ongoing crime perpetrated by the Iranian authorities against more than ten million Arab Ahwazis. The policy of ethnic cleansing implemented in the occupied Ahwaz region for a century targets the Ahwazi Arab identity by prohibiting education in their mother tongue and forcing Ahwazis to study exclusively in Persian.
Depriving Ahwazis of their right to education in their own language is a clear violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates the right of every individual to education without discrimination. It also contradicts international treaties that guarantee the right of peoples to preserve their cultural and linguistic identity.
Mr. President,
This policy is but one part of a broader campaign aimed at eradicating Ahwazi culture and identity. In addition to being denied education in their mother tongue, the Ahwazi people suffer from policies of repression, forced displacement, executions, and the confiscation of their lands and resources.
The educational policies imposed by the Iranian authorities in Ahwaz systematically aim to marginalize the Ahwazi Arab people and attack their national identity. School curricula are designed to entrench Persian chauvinism, omitting the true history of Ahwaz and failing to promote the cultural and linguistic identity of the Ahwazis. Instead, they distort history and deny their existence as a nation with deep civilizational roots.
Furthermore, racial discrimination within schools and universities exacerbates the suffering of Ahwazi students, who face discriminatory practices from teachers and peers influenced by Persian nationalist ideologies. This leads to a sense of alienation among Ahwazi students within educational institutions. Such circumstances drive many students to drop out of school early, resulting in high rates of illiteracy and unemployment among Ahwazi youth.
Mr. President,
These educational policies are not merely a violation of human rights but part of a larger project aimed at erasing the Ahwazi Arab identity and reducing it to a marginalized minority within its homeland. Therefore, we urge the international community and human rights organizations to intervene urgently to address this humanitarian disaster.
The right to education is a fundamental human right, and denying it to the Ahwazis is a blatant violation of international laws and conventions that guarantee this right to all without discrimination. We call on the United Nations and the international community to take practical steps to ensure that Ahwazi children receive fair and inclusive education that respects their identity and culture.
We urge the United Nations and the international community to:
1. Pressure the Iranian authorities to respect the Ahwazi people’s right to education in their mother tongue.
2. Dispatch international missions to investigate the ongoing violations against the Ahwazis.
3. Support the Ahwazis’ right to preserve their cultural and linguistic identity and secure their legitimate rights, foremost among them the right to self-determination.
Mr. President,
The silence of the international community constitutes implicit participation in these crimes. We hope that this esteemed international institution will fulfill its responsibility to protect the rights of the Ahwazi people, including their right to education in their mother tongue and their right to live with dignity and freedom. This will only be achieved by granting the Ahwazi people the right to determine their destiny through a free referendum under the supervision of the United Nations and relevant international bodies.
Ahwazi Center for Human Rights
Geneva, 28/11/2024
