Hundreds of Ahwazis were arrested in October.
A group of human rights activists say that after the Ahvaz terrorist attack, not only have Iranian Arab intellectuals, civil, cultural, and religious activists been arrested, but some of them have also been imprisoned, including children and women.
A group of human rights activists inside and outside the country report that hundreds of Arabs have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Ahvaz terrorist attack, and the location of many of their detention is unclear.
The Center for Human Rights Defenders has condemned the recent arrests and the “extralegal behavior of security agents and the IRGC,” calling this process “reminiscent of the behavior of the Turkish government after the failed coup in that country.”
The statement of this human rights organization, signed by its head Shirin Ebadi, states: "The Islamic Republic of Iran, taking advantage of the situation that arose after the armed attack on the armed forces parade in Ahvaz, has attempted to arrest a large number of citizens of Khuzestan province, mainly the city of Ahvaz... According to statements from families, more than 500 people were arrested in October, and the whereabouts of most of them are unknown."
The statement by the Center for Human Rights Defenders expressed concern that the detainees were being deprived of all their legal rights, including the right to access a lawyer and visit their families, and called the "blind arrests" and the security measures in the area a cause for further dissatisfaction.
Arrest of women and children of ethnic activists
At the same time, another statement signed by the “Center for Combating Racism in Iran,” “Human Rights Monitoring in Ahwaz,” and a group of activists inside and outside Iran stated that no one dares to question the courts and security agencies because they themselves will be arrested: “It seems that the security agencies of the Islamic Republic, using the aforementioned attack as an excuse, are doing whatever they want to the Arab people. They are trying to eradicate any independent cultural and civil activity in the province by creating an atmosphere of fear, imprisonment, torture, and execution.”
The statement said that the Islamic Republic's authorities initially blamed foreign countries and separatist forces for the Ahvaz attack, and after a while, they said that the act was the work of ISIS: "But now the arrests include intellectuals, civil, cultural, and religious activists who fundamentally believe in peaceful and popular activity."
The statement emphasizes that the arrests have gone even further, and in some cases, children and women have been imprisoned "as hostages."
The statement lists the names of 26 people arrested. 23 of them are residents of the Malashiyeh neighborhood of Ahvaz. Two of them are residents of the Al-Safi neighborhood of Ahvaz and the other is a resident of Zoyeh Ameri (Mellat neighborhood).
The signatories of the statement called on activists, figures, and political and human rights organizations to work for the liberation of their Arab compatriots and to be the voice of the voiceless. The statement states that the Islamic Republic regime, by failing to understand the demands of “ethnic groups and their democratic aspirations,” is increasing the intensity of tension, insecurity, and unrest in these regions by resorting to force and repression.
Source: DW
