Escalation of Repression Against Civil Activists in the Ahwaz Region
The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO) has received reports of increasing arrests and torture of civil and cultural activists in the Ahwaz region. In response, the organization has intensified its efforts to document and relay these violations to the international community.
According to information obtained by the organization, Mostafa Helichi, a poet and civil activist, was arrested approximately 20 days ago by the cyber police (FATA) on charges of communication with political activists abroad. During his detention, he has been subjected to severe torture, including being suspended by his limbs, repeated cable strikes on the soles of his feet and body, and injuries inflicted on sensitive areas.
Following Helichi?s arrest, Mukhtar Alboushouka, another political activist, was transferred from Sheyban Prison to the cyber police detention center after a phone call with Helichi. Reports confirm that he also endured torture before being returned to Sheyban Prison.
Additionally, the ongoing wave of arrests has led to the detention of Reza Hezbawi, a 36-year-old poet and civil activist, on Monday, December 16, at his home in the Majd neighborhood of Kut Abdullah. Hezbawi remains detained at the cyber police facility, and reports indicate he has also been subjected to severe torture using similar methods.
Despite repeated visits by the families of the detainees to security and law enforcement agencies, they have been unable to obtain any information about the condition or well-being of their loved ones. Verified reports indicate that the detainees are still being held under harsh conditions at the cyber police detention center.
The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization, leveraging its networks inside and outside the Ahwaz region, has documented these human rights violations and forwarded the information to international human rights bodies. The organization is also publishing these reports to draw global attention to the systematic and repeated human rights violations in the Ahmad region.
In its latest statement, the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization declared:
These arrests and inhumane acts of torture are clear examples of the targeted and systematic repression of Arab civil and cultural activists in the Ahwaz region. We are committed to tirelessly working to bring the voices of these individuals to the world’s attention.? The organization calls on the international community, especially the United Nations and other human rights organizations, to take immediate action to stop the repression, secure the release of detainees, and ensure their safety.
Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
Date: December 19, 2024
