At Least 20 Arab Activists Arrested in Khuzestan

Human rights media report that over 20 Arab activists have been arrested by security forces in Khuzestan over the past five days. The human rights media outlet, HRANA, reported on Wednesday, January 19, that the arrested individuals include: Saeed Ismail Mazraeh, Ahlem Abiyat (Bandar), Ayoub Ghaibi Pour, Reza Heydari, Javad Heydari, Ali Savari, Foad Mousavi, Javad Afri, Yasin Silavi, Ali Koroushat, Mohammad Naseri, Younes Ghorbavi, Reza Zahiri, Hashem Mousavi, Khalid Amouri, Ali Amouri, Mohammad Amouri, Milad Bahri, Sadegh Mansouri, Mansour Jassemi, Ahmad Jalali, Hossein Saeedi, Saeed Fallahi, Ahmad Khaledi, Ayoub Tarafi, Youssef Saeedi, Mohammad Ayashi, and Ali Savari (son of Jabbar). These individuals were arrested in the cities of Ahvaz, Shadgan, and Ramshir. The Hengaw human rights organization also reported that these arrests were carried out by the Ministry of Intelligence. The organization noted that these arrests were made without a judicial warrant, and the individuals have been transferred to an unknown location after their arrest. There is currently no information available regarding the reasons for these security actions and the charges against these citizens. Human rights media indicate that there is a possibility of more arrests in this context. Radio Farda is unable to independently confirm this news. Meanwhile, in recent years, various cities in Khuzestan have witnessed widespread protests against the policies of the Islamic Republic. In one of the latest instances, protests occurred in various cities of Khuzestan in May 2022 in response to rising bread prices. A year prior, many cities in this province experienced popular protests regarding the water crisis in July 2021. These protests have always been met with suppression and the arrest of protesters and civil and political activists residing in the province by the Islamic Republic.