38 Ahwazi Arab activists who were voluntarily helping flood victims have been arrested for allegedly distributing “false information” regarding the floods. Meanwhile, various documents, videos and photos have emerged that show that the IRGC, the Ministry of Oil and the Iranian government are not willing to direct the floods to the Hur Azim area due to potential damage to oil facilities. 

So far, 270 villages in Khuzestan Province have completely drowned and have been evacuated. Floods have reached 11 cities. The number of injured and displaced people has reached half a million overall.

Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation (AHRO) condemns the arrest of activists and demands for their immediate and unconditional release. AHRO also calls on international human rights organisations to condemn these repressive measures by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation

During the past days , Iranian security has arrested 4 Ahwazi Arab men who then were transferred to prison .
The following are their names and information we have currently on hand :
1- Mohammad Sawari ,22 years old from ‘Alawi “ area who was arrested on 15th of November 2016 . The family does not have any news about his fate or whereabouts .
2- Mohammad Mahdi ,20 years old from “Hamidieh” . Arrested on 16th of November 2016 by security forces .
3- Ali Sawari ,25 yeas old from “Alawi” area .Arrested on 18th of November by security forces . His family were not informed about his fate or whereabouts .
4- Hakim Marwani ,a university student ,photographer and cultural activist on social media .He is from “Malashieh” area and was arrested on 19th of November 2016 . The security forces broke into his father’s house to arrest him .
Ahwaz Human Rights Organization condemns these unlawful arrests with no warrants that are aiming at terrorizing the Ahwazi Arab . AHRO demands immediate release and protection of these youths and warns the Iranian authorities from torturing the detainees psychologically and physically as they have done in previous cases .
During the past days , Iranian security has arrested 4 Ahwazi Arab men who then were transferred to prison .
The following are their names and information we have currently on hand :
1- Mohammad Sawari ,22 years old from ‘Alawi “ area who was arrested on 15th of November 2016 . The family does not have any news about his fate or whereabouts .
2- Mohammad Mahdi ,20 years old from “Hamidieh” . Arrested on 16th of November 2016 by security forces .
3- Ali Sawari ,25 yeas old from “Alawi” area .Arrested on 18th of November by security forces . His family were not informed about his fate or whereabouts .
4- Hakim Marwani ,a university student ,photographer and cultural activist on social media .He is from “Malashieh” area and was arrested on 19th of November 2016 . The security forces broke into his father’s house to arrest him .
Ahwaz Human Rights Organization condemns these unlawful arrests with no warrants that are aiming at terrorizing the Ahwazi Arab . AHRO demands immediate release and protection of these youths and warns the Iranian authorities from torturing the detainees psychologically and physically as they have done in previous cases .
Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation (AHRO) received shocking footages which shows Iranian security publicly humiliating  a group of arrested Ahwazi Arab men. Click here to watch the video.
The agents are shouting, coursing and making the men bark like dogs. The exact date and place in which the video was recorded is not clear, however activists on social media believe that it is related to the arrests during  the last Al-adha celebration (31 August)in which Iranian police and security forces arrested dozens of Ahwazi Arabs as they do every year around the same time.
AHRO had warned against the mistreatment of detainees by the Iranian security service and condemns these inhuman treatment which is in breach of  both Iranian and International laws and calls for the punishment of the perpetrators. 

AHRO 2/10/2017
Ahwaz Human Rights sources have reported that detainees in various areas of Ahwaz (Khuzestan province) continue to suffer the consequences of the protests that took place in November, 2019.

The November protests were a response to the death of a well-renowned Ahwazi-Arab poet, Hassan Heydari, whose death in November 10, 2019, had been suspected as a murder by the Iranian regime. The Arab population had demonstrated their public outrage by following his funeral with a mass demonstration condemning the Islamic Republic. It was the youths of the Arab community that had largely dominated the funeral and demonstrations, displaying their outrage by burning the Islamic Republic flag and carrying ethnic slogans. Arrests had already taken place during Heidari's funeral, yet, many youths awaited for a new wave of arrests by security authorities for their participation in the demonstration that followed it.


A large number of activists and ordinary people fled their homes until protests began to rise threefold across the country on November 24, when Arab youths took to the streets again to protest. The Iranian regime were provided with an opportunity to arrest many more Arab protesters, whilst, at the same time cause many others to flee their homes and become displaced. Many ordinary people attempt to abolish or arrest detainees through their trusted intermediaries during the custody of their children and their families by the Intelligence Service (SAS) or the Ministry of Intelligence (Wajah) through their trusted intermediaries. Although, many of these efforts were unsuccessful despite paying huge bribes.

However, what drew the attention and pursuit of independent activists and observers was that some detainees were released shortly after being arrested and released on bail.
After much investigation and questioning by Ahwazi-Arab human rights activists in the province, it was revealed that they had to make televised confessions and confessions during the "Reality .." program on the Twenty-Thirty News Network. In fact, the detainees were immediately released on the condition that they televise their confessions and their sentences shall be suspended once they pledge not to engage in any socio-political activity, with warnings that they could be detained for any reason. While executing the former sentence, they will face new and heavier sentences.

An Arab activist linked to the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization was able to meet with a trusted intermediary from security forces who received millions of dollars in news reports from families or through cancelling temporary detention orders. The activist questioned the reason for the release of some detainees and continued detention of detainees who responded that security forces were "pressing" and "promising" to put pressure on detainees to record television confessions. Some detainees accepted the offer to make a televised confession in exchange for being released, whilst, others remain in detention for refusing to accept those conditions. The interlocutor also added that some detainees have not been released despite accepting and confessing to television because security forces believe there are ambiguities in their case that I (the mediator) will not disclose.
The Arab-based human rights activist linked to the AHRO organization added that he had two meetings with one of the runaway Arab activists present at the Hasan Heydari funeral and participating in the November demonstrations. The young man reported that security forces had stormed not only his home, but the homes of his close relatives, more than 10 times, in order to arrest him. He says he cannot give himself up to security forces because he is certain that he will be subjected to severe torture and eventually sentenced to long prison terms. The young man, who is not interested in emigrating from the country, says he is trying to find a solution through a trusted middleman. He added that the security broker asked him for one billion Iranian riyals (about $ 8,000) and told him that in addition, he would have to surrender himself to the security forces to record televised confessions, as well as confessing against some of his friends to file a case.