HRANA News Agency – In a new wave of arresting Arab citizens from Ahwaz, five others were arrested by security agencies. These individuals whose number reached to more than 15 people, are all accused of participation in protests against various issues, including discrimination in employment, conflict in the village of Jalizi, pumping away Karoon’s water and the drying of wetlands and rivers.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), arresting and summoning protesters have been increasing since December 8, 2017 as the result of protests against the region’s problems, including discrimination in employment, the drying of wetlands and the conflict in the village of Jalizi.
HRANA had reported the arrest of 10 people named Abdullah Karim Chaldawi, Jafar Karim Chaldawi, Saleh Tamluie Tarafi, Ali Zargani, Ali (Adnan) Savari, Hassan Betrani, Younes Sarkhi, Valid Savari, Mohammad Zahraw obeidavi and Isa Zayri in two reports. The identity of five other Arabs from Ahvaz who were arrested are as the following:
1- Hadi (Jafar) Chaldavi, resident of Ahvaz, arrested on December 22, 2017.
2- Mohammad Heidari, resident of Ahvaz, arrested on December 21, 2017.
3- Kazem Savari, son of Hason, resident of Ahvaz, arrested on December 19, 2017.
4- Shaker Silavi, resident of Ahvaz, arrested on December 19, 2017.
5- Abdolrazagh Obeidavi, 25, from Hamidiye, arrested on December 20, 2017
Informed sources told HRANA’s reporter that “Abolfazl Abbas security headquarters has arrested dozens of Arab activists due to popular protests and slogans in Ahwaz and other cities and a large reflection of news in foreign media.”
According to the activists, the videos of the series of protests in Ahvaz on December 8 and December 15 have been released in various Arabic media, in which clearly the participants in the protests can be clearly identified. This probably affected their identification and detention.”
It should be noted that in addition to the individuals mentioned in this report, several other Arab citizens from the southern provinces of Khuzestan, including Khadijeh Nisi, Nader Reyhani and Ahmad Sa’labi Hasani were arrested in non-related cases. Khadijeh Nisi and Ahmad Sa’labi Hasani have been released on bail.
On the other hand 62 political and civil activists protested against the arrests and demanded the end of these arrests by releasing a statement on December 22, 2017.
These activists stated at the end of the statement: “We would call cultural, political, and social activists to protest strongly against national, ethnic, and racial discrimination and protest against the pressure on Arab cultural and civil activists and their massive arrest.”