URGENT ACTION

Verdict against 19 Arab activists

Nineteen Ahwazi Arab activists, who were born in Susa in North Al-Ahwaz, have been sentenced on charges of acting against national security by branch 101 of the Revolutionary Court in Susa city on 28th September 2016.

According to Karim Dahimi, the Human Rights activist during the interview with Al-Arabia on 28th September 2016, fifteen Ahwazi activists from the group of nineteen were sentenced to two years life imprisonment by the judge Mr Mahmoud Sorkhe in Susa.

Mr Karim Dahimi also announced that the Ahwazi Arab activists were arrested in 2015 by the Iranian intelligence services in Susa. They were detained for several months in the detention that belong to the Iranian intelligence services. They all were imprisoned and kept in solitary confinement and faced extreme torture. Therefore, the Iranian authorities were transferred them to Fajr prison in Qanitra (Dezful).

The name of Ahwazi who were sentenced to two years in prison:

1- Mohammad Dabat, 22 years of age, father: Mr Samir Dabat

2- Ahmad Dabat, 21 years of age, father: Samir

3- Abdul Emam Kanani, 30 years of age, father: Ashor

4- Saied Albo Eyni, 27 years of age, father: Ashor

5- Jabber Kanani, 27 years of age, father: Mohsen

6- Ahmad Dabat, 24 years of age, father: Badir Dabat

7- Kazem Chananian, 25 years of age, father: Soghir

8- Ghasem Saadi Al-Kathir, 20 years of age, father: Karim

9- Mohammad Kanani, 22 years of age, father: Joma

10- Mostepha Ismaili, 24 years of age, father: Sabiti

11- Abdulal Mosawi, 22 years of age, father: Jasem

12- Karim Kanani, 20 years of age, father: Abdul Bandar

13- Mohammad Al-Kathir, 20 years of age, father: Moteyer

14- Mohammad Saghori, 25 years of age, father: Seweyef

15- Ali Bit Elewi, 25 years of age, father: Ajam

For other four activists a fine was issued, although some of them were teenager under 18 years of age.

1- Hadi Dola Albo Eyni, 18 years of age

2- Hamed Kanani, 17 years of age, father: Ghasem

3- Ghasem Mehreye, 15 years of age

4- Abas Kanani, 18 years of age, father: Mohammad

Ahwaz monitor on 30th September 2016 published a report on violation of human rights in Iran against two Ahwazi prisoners Mr Ali Amouri and Adnan Amouri, who were executed in Evin prison in Tehran on 28th September 2016 on the charge of armed robbery. Ahwaz Monitor during the report mentioned that the two men were not faced a fair train and could not access to a lawyer. http://www.ahwazmonitor.info/2016/09/30/two-young-impoverished-ahwazi-prisoners-executed-tehrans-notorious-evin-prison/

The Ahwazi Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights would like to add that none of these activists had faced a fair trial and lawyer. Therefore, the Ahwazi Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights is concerned of the charge against those activists, particularly the teenagers under 18 years of age. The organisation also would like to bring the International Organisations attention that the Iranian authorities have previously sentenced and also executed a considerable number of Ahwazi cultural and political activists, particularly people under 18 years of age.

The Ahwazi Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights condemned the charge against the group of 19 cultural activists and the death sentence against two Ahwazi prisoners, and has also urged the International Organisations in general and the Special Rapporteur of Human Rights for Iran in particular to put Iran under pressure to free all these activists from the Iranian prison.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Ahwaz is an Arab land that located in the South- West and South Iran. The name of Al-Ahwaz has changed to Khuzestan, Bushehr and Hormozgan in 1935 after invading the land in 1925. The Iranian both regimes such as Pahlavi era and Islamic republic era used different ways to suppress Ahwazi voices.

A considerable number of Ahwazi have been arrested by the Iranian authorities due to their activities or having link with resistance groups. Therefore, many of the activists were died under torture, and many were sent to the death penalty or long life imprisonment.

The strategy of the Iranian authorities toward Ahwazi Arab people has an impact on Ahwazi Arabs. For instance, the demographic of Al-Ahwaz has changed due to bringing settlers to Al-Ahwaz; the vast majority of Ahwazi are unemployed, poor and homelessness.

The Iranian authorities also deprived Ahwazi of reaching their right to life, although Article 6 of the ICCPR states that “every human being has the irrefutable right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life”.

Article 6 of ICCPR states that ‘’the Authorities should not taking confess under torture and should not torture the prisoners while they are in prisons’’.

In 1996, the Economic and Social Council encouraged all member states to offer a fair trial and independent judiciary to people who may have been facing capital punishment and imprisonment, as mentioned in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Roger Hood, 2008).