Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Ahwazi Arab activist Ahmad Neisi (Tamimi) has completed his two-year prison sentence and was released Tuesday, September 11th from Sheyban Prison in Ahvaz, southwestern Iran.
Neisi, age 32, was among a group of four arrested by Iranian Cyber Police (FATA) in 2016 in Khuzestan province in connection to their social network activity. Along with Taregh Achrash 28, Mohammad Mahavi, 29, and Majed Achrash, 26, he was transferred upon his arrest to Evin Prison in Tehran. All four were transferred to the Ahvaz Sheyban Prison one month later.
Neisi, Achrash, Mahavi, and Achrash’s case was reviewed by Branch 2 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Zare. After four months, they were released on bail of 2,000,000,000 Rials (approximately $15,000 USD).
Shortly afterwards, all four defendants were tried again in the same court on a charge of “acting against national security” for their social network activity, and were each sentenced to a two-year imprisonment. The conviction was upheld in appeals court.
While the conviction was being forwarded to the Enforcement Department, Neisi was unable to post bail in the interim, and turned himself in to Sheyban Prison on August 12th, 2016.
Tag: ahwazi arab
Ahwazi Arab Protestor Posts Bail, Awaits Trial
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Jamil Savari, resident of Ahvaz in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan Province and member of the Ahwazi Arab ethnic minority, was released on a 200 million IRR (approximately $14,000 USD) bail Sunday, September 9th pending completion of the investigation into his case.
During the week of March 29th, 2018, members of Iran’s Ahwazi Arab minority staged rallies in protest of being treated as “invisible” by the state-run media, one example of what is believed to be a larger policy of oppression and discrimination endorsed by the Islamic Republic. Savari was first arrested in March of 2018 by security forces in the midst of these protests, and was subsequently transferred to Sheyban Prison in Ahvaz.
Security forces arrested hundreds of protestors in efforts to shut down the March rallies, which gained momentum in a number of cities, particularly in Khuzestan near the Iran-Iraq border. Reports have surfaced of authorities’ mistreatment and torture of these detainees, many of whom–including a number of minors whose conditions are unknown–remain behind bars despite authorities’ verbal engagements to release them.
Security Forces Arrest More Citizens in Ahvaz
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Several citizens in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz were arrested by security forces in the aftermath of a football match between Esteghlal Ahvaz and Tehran’s Persepolis that took place on August 9th. After the match, fans chanted slogans against the Iranian authorities.
The arrestees, who are among the Arab citizens of Ahvaz, were reportedly arrested by security forces of the Intelligence Department of Ahvaz’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
HRANA was able to identify two of the arrestees as Imen Beit Sayah, 16, and Bashir Sorkhi. Mr Sorkhi was reportedly arrested on August 15th and taken to an unidentified location. Mr Sayah was arrested on August 9th and taken to an unidentified location.
After a week, the family of the arrestees still have no information about the whereabouts of their children.
On August 16th, HRANA had reported on the arrest of another Ahvazi citizen by security forces.