Continued Protests by Arab Citizens in Khuzestan; 'Dozens Arrested'

The news agency Hrana, affiliated with a group of human rights activists, reported that Arab-populated areas in Khuzestan province, including the city of Ahvaz, witnessed street protests by Arab citizens on Wednesday night. This agency cited local sources reporting the arrest of at least 160 individuals, while the Iran Human Rights Campaign quoted a political and human rights activist stating that at least 200 people were detained during these protests. Hrana, in a report on Thursday, April 5, noted that many have been injured or pursued, but did not specify the number of injured. The Fars news agency had previously reported that, besides Ahvaz, gatherings were also held in other cities in Khuzestan province, including Mahshahr, Abadan, and Khorramshahr. In this context, Karim Dahimi, a political and human rights activist, told the Iran Human Rights Campaign on Monday, April 3, that 'about 200 people have been arrested, and in some cases, the gatherings have turned violent.' He also mentioned that security and intelligence forces have been transferred from neighboring provinces to Khuzestan to 'suppress the protests and create a security atmosphere.' Earlier, Hossein Ashtari, the police commander, denied rumors about the deaths of some individuals during the protests in various cities of Khuzestan in an interview with the Tasnim news agency on April 1. According to reports, the reason for the recent protests was the airing of a short program on the 'Kolah Ghermezi' show on Iranian television on April 1, which depicted a child representing various Iranian ethnicities by placing dolls dressed in the clothing of these ethnicities on a map, but did not include Arabic clothing among them. According to Hrana, the protesters initially demanded an apology from the state broadcaster, but 'after several days of this demand going unanswered, other demands were raised in the slogans chanted by the protesters.' These included 'the right to education in one's mother tongue, unemployment, non-local hiring, overdue wages for workers, water transfer from the Karun river headwaters, and stopping environmental destruction.' Other demands mentioned by Hrana included 'changing the security perspective dominating the province, halting the arrest of Arab activists, and establishing independent newspapers and media in Arabic.' Meanwhile, Abbas Kabbi, a representative from Khuzestan in the Assembly of Experts, has called for an official apology from this media outlet. So far, Mohammad Zareian, the producer of the program 'Bebin va Besaz,' has apologized. In this context, Abolhasan Hassan Zadeh, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Ahvaz, described the television mistake as unintentional and urged the people of Khuzestan to be cautious of what he called 'the enemy's sedition and conspiracies.' Prior to these protests, similar gatherings had also been held in recent years in Khuzestan province. For instance, in 2005, following the publication of a letter claiming that the Iranian government intended to change the demographic composition of Khuzestan province, protests erupted in the province that left several dead and hundreds injured. This letter was attributed to Mohammad Ali Abtahi, an advisor to then-President Mohammad Khatami, but Abtahi and officials from Khatami's government denied such a letter and called it 'forged.'