Coinciding with reports of the arrest of two civil activists in Khuzestan, Amnesty International issued a statement criticizing the “widespread repression” and detention of political and ethnic activists in Khuzestan Province.
According to reports, “Karim Saedi” and “Adel Meshhali” were arrested on November 12 in Hamidiyeh. Their charges and the detaining authority remain unclear.
Simultaneously, Amnesty International released a statement on Friday, reporting that “more than 600 people have been arrested in Khuzestan in recent weeks, and information on nearly 180 of the detainees” has been provided to the organization.
Amnesty International described the recent arrests as “deeply concerning” and added that the detention process in Khuzestan is continuing “almost on a daily basis.” These arrests have occurred in cities such as Ahvaz, Hamidiyeh, Khorramshahr, and Shush.
Arrests in Khuzestan Province have intensified over the past two months following a terrorist attack in the city of Ahvaz. On September 22, during an attack on a military parade in Ahvaz, 24 people were killed and 60 wounded.
Previously, the Hrana website reported that security forces arrested hundreds of civil, political, and ethnic activists in the region following the Ahvaz attack. According to Hrana’s report, women and children were among those arrested.
Following the publication of this report, Gholam Reza Shariati, governor of Khuzestan, told IRNA that among those arrested there were “no civil activists or children,” and reported that only one woman was among those detained.
However, Amnesty International stated in its statement that at least three women have been arrested, and the organization has “reliable information” on the detention of “students, writers, civil activists, ethnic rights activists, and political activists.”
Philip Luther, director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa section, stated that the organization supports the trial of individuals suspected of involvement in the “horrific attack” in Ahvaz, but according to him, “arbitrary arrests are not a way to achieve justice.” Luther added that the timing of the arrests shows that the Islamic Republic is using this attack to suppress ethnic activists.
Hours after the Ahvaz attack, the group “Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz” claimed responsibility for the attack, and Islamic Republic officials spoke of the role of “terrorist and separatist groups.” Days later, the Islamic State group (ISIS) released a video claiming the attackers were members of the organization. Several days after the attack, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced in a statement that it had struck the group’s headquarters with missiles and killed the main planner of the Ahvaz attack.
Last week, Denmark’s intelligence and security service announced that the Islamic Republic’s security agencies had been behind an attack on Habib Jaber, a member of the Al-Ahwaziyah group, in Denmark. However, Iran denies this accusation.
Source: Voice of America
