Human Rights Defenders Concerned About 'Widespread Arrests' of Arab Political Activists in Khuzestan

On April 29, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch expressed concern regarding reports of the arrest of dozens of Arab political activists in Khuzestan province by Iranian intelligence and security forces. According to these reports, children are among those arrested. The two organizations, citing statements from political activists, human rights defenders, and families of the detainees, noted that many of the recent arrests occurred on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the protests in April in that province. This refers to the protests and unrest in Khuzestan following the publication of a letter attributed to Mohammad Ali Abtahi, an advisor to Mohammad Khatami during his presidency, in which he allegedly requested actions to alter the demographic structure of Khuzestan to the detriment of the Arab residents. Abtahi and other government officials denied the existence of such a letter. However, the unrest continued and resulted in several deaths. According to witnesses and political activists, the recent arrests were made without warrants by armed individuals sent by security and intelligence forces during the evening and early morning hours. Human rights organizations have expressed concern that the arrests may be related to individuals' peaceful demands to express their political views or publicly assert their Arab culture and identity. Amnesty International described the 'extent of the arrests in recent weeks as reported' as 'deeply concerning.' The two organizations referenced the names of Hatem Abiyat (a resident of Hamidiyeh) and Mostafa Heydari (17 years old, a resident of Alavi neighborhood in Ahvaz) regarding the timing and manner of the arrests on April 6 and 7 (April 17 and 18). Iranian officials have yet to respond to these reports. Human rights defenders have called on Iranian authorities to provide information about the reasons and locations of the detainees' arrests to their family members. On March 16, an Iranian police official reported the arrest of individuals following unrest related to the match between Foolad Khuzestan and Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia. The number of detainees reported by political activists and human rights defenders to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International is 'at least 78 and possibly over 100.' In recent weeks, Khuzestan province has been the scene of clashes and protests that escalated following the death of Younes Asgari, a street vendor from Khorramshahr. Mr. Asgari, who self-immolated on March 14 in protest against the confiscation of his fruit-selling setup by municipal officials, died on Sunday, March 22, due to severe burn injuries at Motahari Hospital in Tehran. Protests related to the football match and Mr. Asgari's death have also been reflected in reports from human rights organizations.