Amnesty International Expresses Concern Over Fate of Hundreds of Ahvazi Arabs
Amnesty International has expressed concern over the fate of hundreds of imprisoned Ahvazi Arabs in Iran, with reports suggesting that 22 of them have been secretly executed. The organization has called for urgent clarification of the situation of these detainees.
AmnestyInternational on Tuesday, November 13 (November 22 in the Persian calendar) issued a statement calling for immediate clarification of the fate and whereabouts of hundreds of Ahvazi Arabs who are detained without access to their families or lawyers. The statement was released as reports emerged in recent days regarding the secret execution of several members of this minority in southern Iran.
Amnesty International stated that in recent days, civil activists of Ahvazi Arabs living outside Iran have informed the organization that 22 men, including Mohammad Momeni Timas, a social activist, have been secretly executed.
The statement notes that from September 24 to the present, approximately 600 Ahvazi Arabs have been arrested by Iranian intelligence agencies in response to an armed attack on a military parade in Ahvaz. Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty International’s North Africa and Middle East Research Division, stated: “If these reports are verified, the secret execution of these men is not only a crime under international law, but also a shocking violation of their right to life and a mockery of justice, even by the shocking standards of Iran’s judicial system.”
The Amnesty International official added that the notion that the detainees were tried in a fair trial within weeks of their arrest “seems far from possible, let alone that they had the opportunity to appeal their death sentences.”
In its statement, Amnesty International cited the case of a 30-year-old young man named Ahmad Heidari who was arrested days after the Ahvaz attack. According to Amnesty International, the family of this young Arab, who worked in a ceramic shop, has had no information about his condition since his arrest. On November 11, officials from the Ahvaz intelligence office contacted Heidari’s family asking them to come to their office. According to Amnesty International, after the family’s visit, a death certificate was given to them stating that Ahmad Heidari was executed on November 8. Security officials refused to hand over the body of this young Arab to his family and told them they were not allowed to hold a mourning or memorial service for him.
Gholamreza Shariati, governor of Khuzestan, on November 12 denied reports in an interview with “IRNA Plus” about the execution of 22 detainees related to the Ahvaz incident, saying “this news is fundamentally untrue.”
In response to this denial, Philip Luther said: “In the absence of any information about the whereabouts of detainees feared to have been executed, the governor’s denial provides little reassurance to families who have been unable to receive news or visit their loved ones since their arrest.”
Amnesty International stated that the execution of these prisoners has raised concerns that hundreds of other imprisoned Ahvazi Arabs arrested after the Ahvaz attack may also face the danger of execution or severe punishment.
The organization has called on Iranian government officials to urgently release information about the whereabouts of these individuals and the court sessions that have been held so far.
Amnesty International has also emphasized that the families and lawyers of the detainees must be allowed to visit and access them. The organization has called for assurance that these individuals are not being tortured or mistreated. Philip Luther stated: “While Iranian officials have a duty to fairly try anyone suspected of being responsible for the Ahvaz attack, they should not use this duty as a pretext for ethnic cleansing of Ahvazi Arabs who have been subjected to harassment and persecution.”
Prohibition on Media Interviews
The Ahvaz Human Rights Organization issued a statement on Sunday, November 11, announcing that 22 Ahvazi Arab citizens who, according to an announcement on September 23, 2018, by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence, were arrested on charges of involvement in the attack on the military parade in Ahvaz, were collectively executed on Thursday, November 8, 2018, at Ahvaz Central Prison without prior notice to their families.
Mohammad Momeni Timas (nicknamed Abunasser), 58, from the Shikare area of Ahvaz and director of the cultural institution “Shams Al-Janub”; Nassar Momeni Timas, the eldest son of Mohammad Momeni Timas; Ahmad Heidari, 30, son of Eboud from Kamplu Street in Ahvaz; and Hatem Sowari, 24, from Alavi Street in Ahvaz, are four executed detainees whose identities have been confirmed according to the Ahvaz Human Rights Organization.
A source close to Mohammad Momeni Timas’s family previously told Deutsche Welle that intelligence agencies had prohibited the family from speaking to the media.
On Saturday, September 22, coinciding with a military parade in Ahvaz, a group of four opened fire on those present. In this armed attack, 24 people, including several civilians, were killed and approximately 60 others were wounded.
Following this attack, which ISIS claimed responsibility for by releasing a video of the attackers, a wave of arrests began in Ahvaz, and according to Ahvazi activists, approximately 800 men and women were arrested in Ahvaz, including political activists, cultural figures, and ordinary citizens. These arrests triggered a response from Amnesty International.
Source: DW
