Ahwazi sets himself alight in governor’s office in jobs protest
An Ahwazi Arab man set himself alight inside the offices of the provincial Governor in Ahwaz on April 16 in a protest against unemployment, according to a report by the Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation. Following the example of the Tunisian martyr Mohammad Bouzizi, Madhi Hadi Mojadam (32) waited for the Governor to leave his office and dowsed himself in petrol before setting himself alight. Security guards intervened immediately to put out the fire and take him to the nearby Taleghani hospital.Unemployment among Ahwazi Arabs soars
Increasing joblessness and rising poverty is creating a humanitarian crisis among Ahwazi Arabs that threatens to lead to widespread unrest, according to activists and a growing number of politicians. The unemployment crisis prompted one desperate Ahwazi Arab to set himself alight in the provincial governor’s office last week, emulating Tunisian martyr Mohammad Bouazizi.
Ahwaz Human Rights Report details latest atrocities against Ahwazi Arabs
Produced by the Ahwazi Arab Solidarity Network in conjunction with Ahwazi Arab rights activists and NGOs, the Ahwaz Human Rights Review 2013 provides an overview of the events and issues concerning the Ahwazi Arabs over the past year, a year that has seen an increase in violent repression, summary killings and executions.
Over 30 NGOs sign Ahwazi solidarity declaration on Intifada anniversary
Hundreds of Ahwazi Arabs and their supporters demonstrated outside the European Commission offices in Brussels
Congress of Nationalities Supports Syrian Uprising, Condemns Nuclear Programme
The Eighth Congress of Nationalities for Federal Iran concluded on Sunday after two days of continuous debate. The representatives of several non-Persian nations participated in the conference in London, UK. The Participants discussed the activities of several committees including Financial, International and Executive committees. Each Committee chair presented a summary of last year’s achievements.
Divisions emerge over ethnic vote in the Iranian presidential election
A third potential presidential candidate has sought to appeal directly to the Ahwazi Arab vote in an acknowledgement that ethnicity is emerging as a major political force in the presidential election. Veteran conservative and a former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is of ethnic Lori descent, said he felt “ashamed” of the poor human development in Mohammareh/Khorramshahr.
Teenage Ahwazi killed in anti-regime protest
A 15-year-old Ahwazi Arab boy, Morteza Alsoweidi, was shot down during a demonstration against the actions of security services on 12 April. Alsoweidi was killed by Colonel Chabok Sawar as he joined local people in protesting against the destruction of Arab houses in the area where he lived with his family. He lived in the village of Al-Chenebah in the Sayed Mousa area. Extrajudicial killings of Ahwazi Arabs are at least as frequent as official executions of political prisoners. The bodies of many Ahwazi activists who have “disappeared” have been washed up in the Karoon.
In March 2013, the body of a 14 year old Ahwazi Arab resident of Hay al-Thawra (Dayereh) was found in the Karoon River. Pictures of Maitham Hamid Abidawi’s corpse showed that his hands were bound behind his back and his feet were tied together. A rescue team was deployed and allegedly found other bodies in the river. In April 2013, political activist Sayed Lafteh Mosavi of Sayed Karim, an area near Ahwaz City, was killed under torture while detained by the intelligence services. He had been arrested some months before and held without charge.
Rouhani competes with Rezaee for Ahwazi Arab vote
Ahwazi Arab tribal sheikhs were invited to an audience with declared bidder for the presidency Hassan Rouhani in Tehran this week, days after rival conservative presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaee addressed Arabs in a bid for their support.
Regime hardliner attempts to co-opt Ahwazi Arabs
Former chief of the Revolutionary Guards Mohsen Rezaee is perverting the narrative of Ahwazi Arab rights in a bid 
Nabavi back in prison after interrogation over Ahwazi solidarity
Prominent Iranian student movement leader Sayed Zia Nabavi was return to Karoon prison this week following a month-long interrogation by Iranian intelligence.
Nabavi has been in prison since June 2009. While in Karoon Prison, he met and befriended Ahwazi Arab activist Mohammad Ali Amouri, who is currently facing execution for “enmity with God”. Both Nabavi and Amoori have been held in solitary confinement and tortured. Their experiences have brought them together.
 |
| Mohammad Ali Amoori (left) and Sayed Zia Nabavi |
In a recent appeal, entitled “story of an exiled prisoner about a prisoner who is sentenced to death, Nabavi described Amoori as a moderate person and rejected the regime’s allegations against him and other Ahwazis sentenced to death. He stated that he did not believe they were violent and accused the security services and judiciary of linking them to a non-existent armed separatist group.
