UN Side Event Discusses Human Rights Violations in Iran
On Thursday, 6th March 2025, a side event was held at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, as part of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The event, titled “The Human Rights Situation in Iran,” gathered human rights activists from non-Persian nations and activists from other minorities in Iran to discuss the systematic violations committed by Iranian authorities against these communities.
Focus on the Ahwazi People
Among the speakers was Abdulrahman Heidari, representing Ahwazi Source, a UK-registered human rights organization. He highlighted the ongoing human rights abuses against the Ahwazi Arab people, emphasizing their systematic exclusion from political, cultural, economic, and religious rights. He also described the arbitrary arrests, suppression of freedoms, and executions targeting Ahwazi activists and civilians.
Broader Human Rights Violations in Iran
The event also shed light on the human rights violations affecting other non-Persian nations in Iran, including Kurds, Baluchis, and Azerbaijani Turks. Speakers noted that these ethnic groups face systematic discrimination, exclusion from economic and political participation, and cultural suppression. They emphasized that the Iranian government’s policies aim to erase their distinct identities.
Call for International Action
Participants stressed the urgent need for the international community to take concrete measures against Iran’s human rights violations. They called for the formation of independent investigative committees to document and report human rights abuses in Iran, urging the UN and world governments to pressure the Iranian regime to end its repression.
Official and Diplomatic Presence
The event was attended by representatives from the UN Fact-Finding Committee on Iran, as well as delegates from European countries, reflecting the growing international concern about Iran’s human rights record.
Speech by Abdulrahman Heidari:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First, I would like to extend my thanks to Zagros centre for human rights for holding this side event and for the invitation. I am honored to speak before you today as a representative of Ahwazi Source, a UK-registered human rights organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of the Ahwazi Arab people in Iran. Our work focuses on documenting human rights violations, raising international awareness, and engaging with policymakers and human rights bodies to ensure justice for the Ahwazi people.
I stand before you today to shed light on the ongoing human rights violations against the Ahwazi Arab people in Iran. Since the occupation of Ahwaz in 1925, the Ahwazi Arabs have faced systematic oppression, discrimination, and marginalization at the hands of the Iranian regime. Their fundamental rights continue to be violated in multiple ways.
Political Discrimination
Ahwazi Arabs are denied political representation and face arbitrary arrests for peaceful activism. Ahwazi political figures, including exiled activists, have been kidnapped and executed. The Iranian government considers any demand for basic rights an act of separatism. No Ahwazi party have permission to act inside Ahwaz, even those who believe in the current regime’s constitution such as Al-Wifaq.
Executions and Mass Imprisonments
Ahwazi Arabs face one of the highest execution rates in Iran. Activists are arrested on fabricated charges, subjected to torture, and forced to confess in sham trials. Just last year, multiple Ahwazi prisoners were secretly executed without notifying their families. Currently 9 Ahwazi activist are at the imminent risk of execution: Abbas Deris, Ali Obeidawi, Adnan GHobeishawi, Ali Mojadam, Habib Deris, Salem Albushoka, , Moein Khanafreh, Mohammad Reza Moghaddam, , Malek Mousawi.
Only at the beginning of 2025 100s of Ahwazi activists and Ahwazi Souni were imprisoned because of their religious belief… and Arrests and suppression have become a constant occurrence, happening every month without exception.
Moreover, every year a number of Aahwazi youth get shot by the the IRGS checkpoints.
Linguistic, religious, and Cultural Suppression
Despite being an indigenous people, Ahwazi Arabs are denied the right to education in their native Arabic language. Schools force children to learn in Persian, causing high dropout rates. Cultural expression is criminalized, and even poetry in Arabic can lead to imprisonment. Just yesterday the 5th of March, an Ahwazi singer, Mehdi Yarrahi, received 74 lashes for a song in support of the protesters. Also, many Ahwazi poet have been killed mysteriously such as Hasan Heidari Sattar Sayyahi, or forced to flee the country like Mohammad Amer Zowidat and Ali Torfi.
Economic Marginalization
Ahwaz is Iran’s most resource-rich region, holding over 80% of the country’s oil and gas reserves, yet Ahwazi Arabs endure severe poverty and unemployment. They are systematically excluded from jobs in state industries, and their lands are confiscated for government projects, leaving thousands displaced. The examples for this issue are so wide such as 100s of thousands of hectares for sugar cane, Dachat Al-Abbas village, Shiban, Howiza, Abbadan, Mohammarah,
Environmental Crisis
State-led water diversion projects have led to severe droughts and desertification, destroying Ahwazi agriculture. The Karun River, once the lifeline of Ahwaz, has been drained to serve Persian-majority provinces, leaving Ahwazi farmers struggling for survival. Protests against water shortages in 2021 were met with brutal force, resulting in deaths and mass arrests.
Call to Action
We urge the United Nations and international human rights organizations to:
- Hold Iran accountable for its systematic repression of the Ahwazi people.
- Demand an end to executions and arbitrary detentions.
- Pressure Iran to allow linguistic and cultural rights for Ahwazi Arabs.
- Ensure independent investigations into environmental destruction and displacement.
The Ahwazi people’s struggle for justice cannot be ignored. The international community must act urgently to end these abuses and protect the fundamental rights of this marginalized population.
Thank you.
The full speech can be watched on video via the following link: