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.
Tag: ethnic minorities in iran
Three released, 16 arrested and interrogated in string of crackdowns across northwestern Iran
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Three detained residents of Kermanshah, Paveh, and Marivan have been released on bail. In Oshnavieh, Kamyaran, Ravansar, Urmia, and Marivan, at least 16 individuals were arrested on charges of membership in Kurdish opposition parties.
According to the Center for Democracy and Human Rights of Kurdistan, on Sunday, August 6, 2018, Amir Hossein Darabi, a news correspondent from Kermanshah, was released on a bail of approximately $1,900 USD. Security forces had arrested Darabi Tuesday, June 26th for “criticizing officials of the Islamic Republic” by “investing and squandering money in countries like Yemen”.
Meanwhile in Marivan, Atta Fatahi, who had been arrested on July 11th for “cooperating with one of the Kurdish opposition parties,” was released on bail after 25 days of detention.
Soran Ahmadi from Paveh province had been arrested on the same charges on July 12th. He posted bail and was released Saturday, August 11th.
The same charge would also be the cause of more detentions on August 4th in Oshnavieh, where the Intelligence Office arrested Yousef Ahmadi from Tajoddinabad, Kurosh Azizi from Qarehsoghol, Mansour Omarzadeh from Dashtibil, Maqdir Mohammadzad from Singan village, and Abu Bakr Minapak from Sujeh.
In Urmia, Anzal resident Mohsen Alipour was arrested by security forces and transferred to an undisclosed location on charges of “propagating in favor of Kurdish opposition parties.”
A few days ago, plainclothes Kamyaran intelligence forces arrested two individuals — Farouk Mohammadi from Shahu village and Rahim Khateri from Shirvaneh village — for “contacting Kurdish opposition parties.” They were transferred to an undisclosed location.
Last week, Bagher Safari, 60, was summoned and interrogated at the Intelligence Office of Ravansar province.
In the first week of August, several more were arrested following inspections of their homes, according to numerous reports from Marivan: Mohammad Mamlekati, Mohammad Irankhah, and Mohammad Hosseini from Dari village; Osman Delaoviz and Mohammad Karami from Gouveizeh Kaviri village; Akbar Samadi and Jamal Ebrahimi from Marivan.