Increasing attacks and pressure on “people’s aid workers” in Khuzestan

Kayhan newspaper accused aid workers from the “Imam Ali Community” of “promoting superstitions and slandering the government” in Khuzestan. According to reports, a number of aid workers from non-governmental organizations in Khuzestan have been arrested on similar charges.

As the dissatisfaction of flood victims in Khuzestan increases with the inadequacy of government and governmental institutions' efforts to assist the people of this province, pressure on relief workers from non-governmental organizations has increased.

In recent days, a number of fundamentalists and users who identify themselves as Hezbollah members have launched a fierce propaganda campaign against the "Imam Ali Student-Popular Relief Association", a non-governmental organization active in providing aid to flood victims in Khuzestan, and have made various accusations against this organization.

On Sunday, April 15, the aforementioned NGO responded to these criticisms and accusations, such as "promoting Baha'ism, homosexuality, and dependence on foreign movements," in a statement published on the Jamaran website, affiliated with the "Office for the Preservation and Publication of Imam Khomeini's Works."

Referring to the two-decade history of this group's relief efforts in various parts of Iran, the statement reads: "The film that has been published on social media as a negative portrayal of flood-affected areas, regardless of its content, has nothing to do with this group."

Kayhan's insult to rescue workers

The publication of this statement on Jamaran’s website was met with strong criticism from the Kayhan newspaper, whose editor-in-chief is Hossein Shariatmadari, Ali Khamenei’s representative at the Kayhan Institute. Kayhan accused the group of “promoting superstitions, vilifying the revolution, insulting the martyrs and the Imam, distorting Islamic history, inventing innovations in religious rituals, and spreading eclectic ideas” among flood victims.

Making serious accusations against Sharmin Maimandinejad, one of the founding students of the Imam Ali Society, Kayhan wrote: "Meanwhile, the supervisory institutions, turning a blind eye to all the violations and deviations of this organization, are passively watching how the students and youth of the country have fallen into the trap of Sharmin Maimandinejad and become captives of her superstitions and misguided thoughts. In the form of relief groups, like unpaid and unpaid soldiers, they are busy spreading these superstitions among the oppressed classes and recruiting them."

The group wrote in its statement that all of its activities are reviewed "by official auditors" and the results are presented to oversight organizations, and that attacks and accusations against this organization are a cost that NGOs are forced to pay to maintain their independence.

25 people arrested in Ahvaz

Some news sources close to Arab activists in Ahvaz reported on Sunday, April 14, the arrest of 25 relief workers and members of popular relief committees in the Malashieh area of ​​Ahvaz. This news has not been officially confirmed yet, but the commander of the cyberspace police in Khuzestan province had previously announced the arrest of 24 people on charges of publishing “deviant news” and spreading rumors about the floods in Khuzestan.

According to ILNA news agency, Colonel Shahin Hassanvand said on Saturday, April 14: "FATA police experts, by monitoring and observing social networks, identified 24 users who had caused public concern by spreading distorted news and rumors about the flood, and arrested them in coordination with the judicial authority."

In recent days, many news and videos have been published on social media, indicating protest movements by the people of Khuzestan in response to the shortcomings of government and governmental institutions in providing relief.

In some of these films, protesting people strongly criticize local officials for their inappropriate performance, and blame the policies and programs of the government and other agencies for exacerbating flood damage and pressure on citizens.

Popular Mobilization Forces and the Defenders of the Holy Shrine in Khuzestan

On Monday, April 15, Kayhan newspaper reported the arrival of "defenders of the shrine" from Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to Khuzestan to help flood victims in the province.

The newspaper writes that in addition to the Iraqi Shiite militias known as the "Popular Mobilization Forces" who have entered Khuzestan, "a group of Afghan fighters from the Fatemiyoun Brigade, Zainabiyoun from Pakistan, and students from these two countries in Iran" have also arrived in the flood-stricken areas of Khuzestan to help Iranian forces provide relief.

Apparently, these “fighters” are the same groups that the IRGC has trained and equipped for deployment to Syria in recent years. The presence of these forces in Khuzestan has also been met with protests, and some civil society activists believe that the purpose of sending these forces is to counter popular protests that are increasing due to inefficiency and mismanagement by officials.

Source: DW