Two participants in this July’s Protests in Khuzestan were arrested this weekend in Behbahan.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Gholam Tayebi and Muhammad Khalili were arrested by security forces and transferred to an unidentified location on Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, October 17, respectively.
In the company of the police of NAJA (Disciplinary Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran), security forces arrested the citizens separately in Behbahan City, where they were forced to flee from their home in Kurdistan Bozorg Village. After the wave of arrests from this village, they did not return home due to the prosecution. According to this report, Ali Tayebi, another resident of this village, has also been arrested.
An informed source told HRANA that most of the arrestees from this village in regards to July protests in Khuzestan are farmers–biggest victims of water resources mismanagement of the government. A while back, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad had informed about the delay in autumn planting due to lowering reservoir levels of dams in this area.
According to Summary Report from the Khuzestan Protests in 41 Cities published by HRANA, 171 people were arrested in the July protests. The protests erupted on July night 15, 2021 in Khuzestan province to outcry over water shortages and water supply mismanagement. These protests lasted two weeks spreading over 41 cities of the province. Reportedly, dozen people were killed and wounded and hundreds were arrested.