Sixth Night of Khuzestan Protests; Gunfire and Tear Gas Attacks

Izeh, Susangerd, Shush, Kut Abdullah, and Abadan have been scenes of gunfire and tear gas attacks. Local witnesses reported the killing of a 16-year-old youth in Izeh. The Ministry of Defense responded by deploying ten water tankers to the region.

Street protests by Khuzestan residents against water shortage continue and have been met with the deployment of security forces and gunfire toward protesters. Izeh, Susangerd, Kut Abdullah, Shush, Koy-e Alavi, Lashgarabad in Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and Abadan are the main centers of protests.

Videos and images shared on social networks show scenes of special forces confronting young people and protesters. According to local witnesses, a 16-year-old youth named Mohammad Abdollahi was killed by gunshot in Izeh. These sources also stated that another youth named Mohammad Mansour Karoushat from the Thovra neighborhood in Ahvaz, who had been previously wounded, has died. Conflicting reports have also emerged about the killing of another youth in Izeh.

In one of the videos posted on Twitter, a protester shouts: “Our demonstrations are peaceful, why are they shooting at us?” Most videos shared on social networks feature anti-government slogans. In Izeh, slogans escalated from “Bakhtiari and Arab, unity, unity” to “Death to Khamenei.”

Tuesday evening, the city of Izeh became the center of demonstrations, and security forces fired tear gas at the protesters.

Ismail Bakhshi, a worker at Haft Tape Sugar Factory, tweeted: “With all these security forces, special units, and riot suppression officers being deployed to Khuzestan, I don’t know if they’re thinking about ‘water’ or if they want to give the remaining water share of these protesting people to these forces to quench their thirst.”

Ebrahim Allah Bakhshi, a Dervish Gonabadi and civil activist, posted a video on Twitter reporting on people’s efforts to divert water from the Bani Sadr River/canal in northern Ahvaz toward agricultural lands.

Local activists on social networks reported that Tuesday evening, internet was cut off for a period in Shadegan, Susangerd, Shush, and Shushtar. News about the protests is being shared on social networks under the hashtag “AnaAatshan” (We Are Thirsty).

Meanwhile, the Ahvaz Human Rights Organization has called for a gathering in support of “Thirsty Ahvazis” in Brussels on Saturday, July 24.

Maytham Aal Mahdi, a worker at Ahvaz Steel, also tweeted: “They wanted to humiliate us, but we are not to be humiliated.”

Iran’s official and domestic media have either remained silent about the Khuzestan protests or provided filtered and limited coverage.

Fars News Agency reported that the Ministry of Defense has handed over 10 water tankers to the provincial governorate to help with water supply to low-water areas of the province. It was announced that from Wednesday evening, July 30, these tankers will be dispatched to areas such as Esmailia.

Simultaneously, the mayor of Bandar Mahshahr reported the killing of one “relief unit officer” in the city and told Farsa: “Following the riots in Taleghani neighborhood, relief unit officers from rooftops came under gunfire from rioters. One officer was martyred and another officer was wounded in the leg.”

Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, who is himself from Khuzestan, visited the region and stated: “Protesting about problems is the right of the people, and demanding accountability from incompetent managers is a legitimate demand of the people of Khuzestan. Some managers are not worthy of sitting in management positions that are the result of the blood of martyrs.”

Source: DW