Khuzestan Date Palm Growers Gather in Protest Against Water Scarcity and Salinity at Agricultural Jihad Organization
According to the South Evening News Network, a group of date palm growers from Khuzestan staged a protest against problems including water scarcity and water salinity.
A number of date palm growers from Khuzestan on Tuesday, the 19th of Mordad, in protest against problems such as water scarcity and water salinity, the loss of palm groves, and pricing policies, gathered in front of the Khuzestan Agricultural Jihad Organization and entered the building while chanting slogans “Our professional system deserves support, support” and “Life is our natural right.”
These Khuzestan date palm growers say, if 2021 is the year of removing obstacles, “why are we in limbo,” and if it is the year of support, “why are we not being supported,” and intermediaries and brokers are always supported.
In recent weeks, protesters in Khuzestan cities including Susangerd, Ahvaz, and Mahshahr held protest gatherings against the water crisis, water transfer policies, and the ineffectiveness of officials.
These protests, which initially began with complaints about severe water scarcity, intensified within just a few days following confrontations between security forces and the people, and protesters chanted slogans against the regime. These protests were met with a deadly response from security forces, resulting in arrests, deaths, and injuries.
Following these protests, Hassan Rouhani said: “Protest and criticism within the framework of law are not problematic” and “people have the right to take to the streets,” but he said that “people of this province should be separated from those giving incorrect slogans.” The General Prosecutor and Islamic Revolution of Khuzestan also issued a statement threatening protesters with “decisive” confrontation and warned them to separate their line from the “counter-revolutionary” line.
Nevertheless, the scope of protests extended beyond Khuzestan. Protesters in some other Iranian provinces including Lorestan, Yazd, and Tehran staged gatherings and chanted slogans in support of Khuzestan protesters.
Concurrently with the continuation of protests in various parts of Iran, NetBlocks, an international internet monitoring organization, confirmed on Wednesday, July 30th, that since the beginning of people’s protests against water scarcity in Khuzestan, mobile internet service in various parts of Iran has experienced disruptions.
Jalina Porter, Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said on Friday, August 1st, to the Persian Service of Voice of America that the Iranian people should be able to express their demands without fear of confrontation with law enforcement or arbitrary arrest. She called on the Iranian government to allow citizens freedom of speech and internet access.
Many artists, athletes, and famous figures abroad showed their support for the protesters and their demands by issuing statements while public protests against water scarcity and other problems continued in southern cities and some other areas of Iran.
On the other hand, statements from inside and outside Iran, including statements from Empress Farah Pahlavi, Prince Reza Pahlavi, the House of Iran Music, a group of lawyers, and a statement from over 90 cartoonists, reflected a widespread wave of support from Iranians around the world for the protesting people of Khuzestan against water scarcity.
Amnesty International also published the names of eight people killed in the Khuzestan protests in a report and called on the Islamic Republic authorities to stop the use of military weapons against protesters.
Source: Voice of America
