Repression continues in Mahshahr; several citizens arrested by security forces

At least 14 Sunni citizens living in Mahshahr have been arrested and transferred to unknown locations in a raid by the city's security forces.

According to news published in Iranian media, these citizens living in Mahshahr were arrested by security forces on Wednesday, June 27, under various pretexts. No details of these detainees have been published in state media, and no opportunity has been provided for them or their families to respond to these attacks.

This is not the first time that citizens of this region of the country have been repressed or arrested by security forces. In November of last year, following nationwide protests in Iran, which began in Mahshahr, there were reports of the killing of protesters who fled to the city's reeds and were shot by military forces armed with machine guns and heavy weapons.

After numerous reports of the killing of people in the Mahshahr reeds and the publication of the first images of the massacre, Islamic Republic officials confirmed the killing of these protesters with a delay of several days.

In mid-December 2019, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a report condemning the Iranian government's extreme violence in suppressing the Aban protesters, warning of violations of the rights of detainees, and calling the treatment of protesters in Mahshahr the worst incident during the protests. She said: "According to information received, in Jarahi Square in Mahshahr, Iranian security forces used heavy weapons against demonstrators - including those who were fleeing and those who were hiding in the reeds near the square - which resulted in the deaths of at least 23 people and possibly many more."

In January of the same year, the US State Department issued a statement adding the name of the commander of the IRGC's Vali Asr headquarters in Khuzestan province to the US sanctions list, saying that Hassan Shahvarpour was sanctioned for major human rights violations in his response to the November protests in Mahshahr.