For many years, the Iranian regime has maintained its assertion within the international community that it upholds human rights and insists that it has fully recognized the rights of Iranian minorities, including the Arab community in Ahwaz, without any shortcomings. However, the reality presents a different picture.
In Khuzestan, problems persist without resolution. Three decades after the war, cities in this region grapple with reconstruction, poverty, unemployment, and job scarcity. Protests by Haft Tappeh sugar cane workers and strikes by oil, gas, and petrochemical employees in Khuzestan highlight these issues. Despite these protests consistently sparking criticism and opposition towards the regime, the regime steadfastly denies these accusations internationally. Yet, domestically, swiftly they initiate their course of action by classifying the peaceful protests as acts of Moharebeh (waging war against god), “spreading corruption on earth”, “attempts to use unrest to weaken country”, “attempts to weaken the position of the national media”, or using other labels as deemed appropriate. This initial step of labelling is followed by immediate detentions and depending on their assessment of the gravity of the protest, they proceed down the well-known route of employing torture and execution.
What’s even more alarming is that within this regime not only are protests and appeals for human rights and freedom of expression categorized as acts of Moharebeh, but even the mare act of revealing the ethical and social wrongdoings of government officials is framed by the regime as deliberate efforts to undermine the system. An example is evident in the aftermath of a video release portraying a sexual relationship between Mohammad Masoudian-Far, the director of the educational and welfare complex of the national media and one of his employees. In response, their public relations remarked that the video’s release aimed to “weaken the position of the national media”. Once again, the same old strategy.
Given the strategic application of deception by this governing regime, can a statement claiming to grant rights to the minority Arab population in Ahwaz truly be considered credible? When a regime doesn’t have any credibility, is it even possible to believe any claims they make about the Arab minorities? Can one imagine what happens to the peaceful protests conducted by the Ahwazi people behind closed doors?
Retaj
20 August 2023
