Islamic Republic forces raid a village in Izeh overnight and arrest citizens

Continuing the security pressure in protest areas of Khuzestan, government forces raided the village of Pian in Izeh County on Tuesday morning, arresting at least seven citizens, including a 15-year-old child, and injuring several others. Reports also indicate that shops were destroyed, property was damaged, and pro-government slogans were written in the village, an action that has once again raised concerns about violent security clashes in areas critical of the Islamic Republic.

According to reports recently published by human rights sources, on the morning of Tuesday, May 28, plainclothes forces and law enforcement officers, supported by vehicles equipped with machine guns, entered the village of Pian in Izeh County and began a massive operation against the residents of the area.

During this operation, at least seven citizens were arrested, whose identities have been announced as “Alborz Ramezani”, “Arad Kouchaki”, 15 years old, “Saman Taghizadeh”, “Fardad Rahmani”, “Askar Badaghi”, “Hamzeh Ramezani” and “Mohammad Salahshour”. As of the time of writing this report, information about their whereabouts, physical condition and the charges brought against them has not been released.

At the same time as these arrests, several residents of the village were also injured. According to published information, "Arzoo Malamali" was injured by a bullet and "Karamet Kouchaki" was injured in the head after being hit by a gunshot. "Nahibatollah Abbasi" was also reported to be among the other injured in the raid.

Reports indicate that government forces destroyed some of the local shops and damaged citizens' property during their entry into the village. Some local sources also reported that items inside the shops were confiscated or destroyed.

"Fouad Choubin", the uncle of "Artin Rahmani" (the child who died in the "Gen, Zhiyan, Azadi" protests), announced on social media that in addition to destroying public property, the attacking forces had also destroyed pictures of Artin Rahmani. According to him, the officers had written slogans such as "Labaik or Khamenei", "Security", "First Wave" and "We will come again" on the walls of the village, and had also recorded insulting statements against him.

Izeh has been a hotbed of anti-government protests in Iran in recent years, and has repeatedly seen a large presence of security forces and arrests of protesters. The city has been featured in international human rights reports, especially after a number of protesters, including children and teenagers, were killed during the nationwide protests of 1401.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned of violent attacks by the Islamic Republic's security forces in the Arab and Lor regions of Khuzestan. Civil activists say that the continued lack of transparency in arrests, the use of violence in security operations, and the lack of accountability by the Islamic Republic's authorities have exacerbated the atmosphere of fear and insecurity among residents of these areas.

As of the publication of this report, Islamic Republic officials have not provided any explanation regarding the details of the operation in the village of Pyan or the status of the detainees.

In addition to the wave of arrests, the arrest of 15-year-old Arad Kouchaki has sparked reactions and concerns from child rights activists and human rights defenders. Critics say the arrest of children and teenagers in security operations, using armed forces and night raids, is an indication of the Islamic Republic’s increasingly repressive approach towards families and residents of protesting areas. According to human rights activists, the security response to a 15-year-old child is not only a clear violation of children’s rights and the Islamic Republic’s international obligations, but also reflects the government’s increasing use of intimidation to silence any voices of protest in areas like Izeh.