Iran Human Rights Campaign Calls for Action Against the Suppression of Minority Communities in Iran

The Iran Human Rights Campaign on Friday, February 1, following a "new wave of widespread repression against Kurdish, Arab, Baluch, and Turk citizens and activists in Iran," urged the United Nations and countries committed to human rights to pressure the Islamic Republic of Iran to stop these abuses. This human rights organization highlighted the violent arrests and summons of several civil, cultural, and environmental activists in Khuzestan province, where the identities of at least 69 of them have been confirmed. Ahmad Hamidi, spokesperson for the "Karun Human Rights Organization," emphasized that the government's aim with these actions is to "create fear" to "prevent the formation and expansion of protests" during times when the government feels threatened. The Iran Human Rights Campaign also noted that in less than a week, "at least 12 Kurdish activists have been arrested," and that security forces of the Islamic Republic have confronted many shopkeepers in Sanandaj, Mahabad, and Kermanshah "due to their participation in strikes and protests against the death sentences of Vrisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi," two imprisoned Kurdish civil activists. Rabin Rahmani, a human rights activist, told the Iran Human Rights Campaign that the broadcast of multiple documentaries about Vrisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi and Kurdish groups in media close to the Ministry of Intelligence may indicate that the regime intends to take the "harshest action" against these prisoners. The Iran Human Rights Campaign also referred to the harassment of Baluch people, citing the "Baluch Activists Campaign," which stated that in 2024, "at least 400 Baluch citizens, including five women and 30 teenagers, were arrested by military agents of the Islamic Republic, and at least 101 Baluch prisoners were executed in the same year, most of whom were convicted on drug-related charges." Amnesty International noted in its annual report on the death penalty worldwide that executions in Iran disproportionately target the Baluch ethnic minority, who make up about five percent of Iran's population but account for 20 percent of those executed in the country. The Iran Human Rights Campaign also pointed out the targeting of Azerbaijani civil activists by the Islamic Republic, adding that "within just 10 days from January 12 to January 23, 2024, 12 Azerbaijani Turkish activists in Tabriz were interrogated" and faced charges including "membership in an illegal group" and "gathering and colluding against national security." Hadi Ghaemi, director of the Iran Human Rights Campaign, stated that the systematic targeting of minority communities in Iran aims to "silence dissenting voices, eliminate cultural identities, and exert control over these communities." Earlier, on December 27, the news agency of the Iranian Human Rights Activists, HRANA, reported that government forces arrested 2,759 citizens in 2024 due to civil, ideological, or political activities. This total includes 23 arrests from guilds, 240 from ethnic-national minorities, 85 from religious minorities, 1,585 from thought and expression, 34 from the children’s sector, 11 from the environmental sector, 2 from the cultural sector, and 11 from workers. Additionally, over 33,442 months of prison sentences have been issued for government critics.