Amnesty International: Iran Must Clarify Status of Hundreds Detained in Khuzestan
Amnesty International has called on the Islamic Republic’s authorities to clarify the status of hundreds of citizens from Khuzestan Province who have been detained over the past two months.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 13 (November 22 in the Persian calendar), Amnesty International wrote that some “Ahvazi Arab activists” outside Iran have informed the organization that 22 people have been executed in Iran in recent days.
The organization has called on Iranian authorities to announce the detention locations of arrested individuals and allow them access to lawyers and family visits.
In recent days, reports about the execution of 22 detainees following the terrorist attack on Ahvaz by human rights organizations and activists have been published. According to them, these executions were carried out without informing the families of these individuals, and the bodies of the executed have not been handed over to their families.
Islamic Republic authorities have denied these reports and announced that no one has been executed. However, Amnesty International stated in its statement that Ahmad Heidari is among the individuals arrested following the Ahvaz attack, and after summoning his family, the intelligence office announced that he was executed on November 17. According to Amnesty International, “Ministry of Intelligence officials also told Mr. Heidari’s family that no body would be handed over to them and the family has no right to hold a mourning ceremony.”
Previously, Gholamreza Shariati, Governor of Khuzestan, and Abbas Hoseini-Pooya, Prosecutor of Ahvaz, had stated that none of the arrested individuals have been executed. According to them, the cases of these individuals are still under investigation and no verdict has been issued by the court.
On September 22, armed individuals attacked a military parade in the city of Ahvaz, during which 25 people were killed and dozens were wounded. Civilians and children were among the casualties.
Initially, the “Ahvaziya” group claimed responsibility for the attack, but shortly afterward, the Islamic State (ISIS) group announced in a video that the attackers were members of their organization.
On October 23, the Ministry of Intelligence announced that it had arrested 22 people involved in this attack at a safe house. According to the ministry’s statement, “explosives, military equipment, and communication facilities” were discovered at this safe house.
According to reports from human rights organizations, since the attack in Ahvaz, a number of civil, cultural, and political activists in Khuzestan have been arrested. Amnesty International, in a statement released on Friday, November 1, reported that in recent weeks “over 600 people have been arrested in Khuzestan and information on approximately 180 of the arrested individuals” has been provided to the organization.
Source: Voice of America
