Conflicting Reports About Clashes in Abu Al-Fazl Village, Khuzestan

Images have been circulating on social media that apparently show residents of Abu Al-Fazl village in Khuzestan being wounded by security forces. The Foundation for the Oppressed claims ownership of the village’s land, while the police commander of Ahvaz calls the images fabricated.

Clashes occurred in recent days in the Zardasht area of Ahvaz and in Abu Al-Fazl village, with conflicting reports emerging about various aspects of the incident.

The clashes began when judicial authorities and security and police forces moved in to demolish residents’ homes and evict them from the area.

The Foundation for the Oppressed claims ownership of the village’s lands and, by filing a complaint, has succeeded in obtaining an eviction and demolition order against residents in this area, most of whom are extremely poor.

This foundation is one of the wealthiest and most influential government institutions, with its chief appointed by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The foundation’s wealth largely derives from the seizure of properties, factories, and assets of officials and senior figures from the Pahlavi era.

The “Ahvaz Human Rights Organization” published photos and videos on social media Wednesday showing clashes between village residents and police forces, with the sound of gunfire audible in some of them.

In some images, individuals can be seen with buckshot wounds on their bodies. The Ahvaz Human Rights Organization stated that police forces fired at villagers, wounding and arresting several people.

Colonel Mohsen Dalavand, police commander of Ahvaz, called these images fabricated on Thursday, the sixth of Shahrivar, and denied firing at the Zardasht villagers, describing it as “media manipulation in cyberspace.”

According to ILNA news agency, Dalavand said about Wednesday’s clashes: “The governor, prosecutor, executive officials of Ahvaz municipality, and police forces went to Abu Al-Fazl village to reclaim the Foundation for the Oppressed’s lands from individuals who had illegally occupied them, and they encountered resistance from some people present at the scene.”

Denying Gunfire, Confirming “Positive Actions”

The Ahvaz police commander stated that these individuals, “incited by residents of the area,” blocked the road to prevent forces from entering the village and seized the land claimed by the foundation, throwing stones at municipal enforcement officers.

He claimed that local residents also attacked police forces, leaving four of them and one municipal officer wounded, until “positive actions” by police forces dispersed the crowd and ended the situation.

The Ahvaz police commander provided no further explanation about the “positive actions” taken by officers. The Shargh newspaper reported on Wednesday under the headline “Foundation’s Dilemma with the Deprived,” sarcastically writing: “The Foundation for the Oppressed’s work has progressed from reclaiming the Marble Palace and properties on Ferdowsi Street, Niavaran, Kouhak and beyond… to the salt marshes of Khuzestan.”

In one of the videos circulated on Twitter, local residents speak of the use of tear gas to disperse people. Yousef Mousavi, the village’s prayer leader who was present to mediate, and was exposed to tear gas, said: “They wouldn’t do this even to a non-believer, what kind of Islam is this?”

In another video, the prayer leader protests to the officers about why they attacked people, women, and children, while the officers claimed that locals initiated the attack.

Tactical and Temporary Retreat by Foundation

The Foundation for the Oppressed’s public relations issued a statement Thursday announcing that upon learning of the clashes in Abu Al-Fazl village, it requested a halt to the execution of eviction and demolition orders against residents.

The statement said: “Following the halt in execution of issued orders, it was decided that within two weeks, in cooperation with the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, families living in poverty on these lands would be identified, and after arrangements are made to relocate these households to a residential area and the foundation provides advance housing costs for these families, legal orders regarding these lands would be executed.”

Thus, it appears the foundation has no intention of abandoning the Zardasht area lands in Ahvaz and plans to take control of these lands soon.

The Shargh newspaper reports that Abu Al-Fazl village has a population of nearly 300 households, and some residents have documents showing they have lived there for about 40 years.

The village is not far from Ahvaz and is located beside the old ring road to Andimeshk. It is said that Abu Al-Fazl village is located within the city limits in Ahvaz’s new detailed plan, and based on this, the Foundation for the Oppressed has been seeking to register the title deeds of these lands in its name for several years.

Source: DW