Conflicting Reports on the Execution of 22 Individuals Related to the Ahvaz Attack

The governor of Khuzestan and two members of parliament denied reports of the mass execution of 22 individuals accused of having 'connections' to the attack on the armed forces parade in Ahvaz. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, called the news 'utterly false' on Tuesday, November 21. He stated that 'charges have been explained' regarding the detainees, but advised to inquire about this information from the judiciary. Mohammad Javad Jamali, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament, expressed ignorance about the report, while also stating that the publication of this news is 'media manipulation.' Meanwhile, Abolfazl Hassan Beigi, another member of this commission, denied the report and said that death sentences are executed only after being confirmed by the Supreme Court. During the attack on the military parade on September 21 in Ahvaz, at least 24 people were killed and over 60 were injured. Some websites reported on Sunday that 22 individuals detained on charges of 'connection' to the attack on the armed forces parade in Ahvaz were 'executed en masse without prior notice to their families on Thursday, November 17, at the central prison of Ahvaz.' This news has been circulated on social media and some websites, and the 'Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners' has expressed concern over these reports. According to these reports, among those executed were Mohammad Momeni Timas, 58, Nasar Momeni Timas (the eldest son of Mohammad Momeni Timas), Ahmad Heydari, 30, and Hatam Savari, 24. On October 24, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of 22 individuals in Ahvaz, labeling them as 'culprits' of the attack on the armed forces parade in the city. Meanwhile, reports have emerged regarding the arrest of other individuals, and Amnesty International announced on Friday, November 2, that following this attack, there has been an increase in the 'widespread crackdown' on political and ethnic activists in Khuzestan, with hundreds arrested. 'Yaqoub Hur Altestari,' who introduced himself as the spokesperson for the 'Arab Liberation Movement of Ahvaz,' attributed the attack on the armed forces parade in Ahvaz to a group known as 'National Resistance of Ahvaz.' However, ISIS officially claimed responsibility for the attack, and the Islamic Republic retaliated by launching several missiles at the group's alleged headquarters in Syria. Danish police announced on Wednesday, November 7, that they had arrested three members of the group known as 'Ahvaz Movement' for 'praising' the deadly attack in Ahvaz. These individuals were later released. Meanwhile, Denmark accused the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence on November 29 of attempting to assassinate activists of the 'Ahvaz' group on Danish soil, which the Islamic Republic denied. In this context, there have been reports of 13 years of bombings and armed clashes in Khuzestan, the 'arrest' of several military and security forces due to 'negligence' in the Ahvaz attack, the release of alleged images by the IRGC regarding the missile attack on 'ISIS headquarters' in Syria, and the IRGC claiming that the 'main architect' of the Ahvaz attack has been killed. Israeli media have reported on the role of Mossad in the exposure of Iran's 'assassination' plot in Denmark. The severe governmental crackdown and the risk of protests becoming 'underground' have been highlighted, along with accounts from doctors and eyewitnesses regarding the injured in the protests. The limitations of relations between China and Iran have also become apparent amid the protests.