Statement by the Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement in Ahwaz (PADMAZ)On the Martyrdom of the Ahwazi Young Man, Ahmed Baldi

To the masses of our Arab people in Ahwaz,

With profound sorrow and heavy hearts, the Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement in Ahwaz (PADMAZ) has received the tragic news of the passing of the young Ahwazi man, Ahmed Baldi, on the eleventh of November 2025. Ahmed succumbed to severe burns sustained after setting himself on fire on the first of November, in protest against the confiscation of his father’s kiosk — the family’s only source of income — by Iranian occupying forces. On this painful occasion, we extend our deepest condolences and solidarity to his grieving family and to the nation of Ahwaz.

Ahmed intended his sacrifice to be a resounding cry against injustice and oppression. He meant for his body to become a message — one that stirs the conscience, awakens hope, and ignites a broad popular movement demanding justice and dignity for the people of Ahwaz.

Brothers and sisters,

The true causes behind this tragedy are not the “individual problems” that the Iranian regime desperately attempts to promote through its propaganda outlets. This painful incident is a direct outcome of decades of racist, systematic policies targeting the Arab people of Ahwaz — policies that have entrenched economic marginalization, social exclusion, widespread unemployment, and the denial of even the most basic conditions of a dignified life. Ahmed was not an exception; he was yet another victim in a long chain of suffering created by repressive and impoverishing policies.

Since the occupation of Ahwaz, the regime has deliberately destroyed the economic and social foundations of our people. Rivers and wetlands — including the Karun and Karkheh — have been diverted to central Iranian provinces to fuel settlement projects, devastating agriculture and fisheries and depriving thousands of families of their historic livelihoods. Alongside environmental destruction, the regime has institutionalized discriminatory employment practices: Ahwazis are systematically excluded from jobs in factories and companies built on their own land, while positions and benefits are handed to settlers imported from Persian provinces. Through such policies, poverty is not accidental — it is imposed.

Before Ahmed, many others faced similar fates. Among them was Younes Asakreh, who set himself ablaze in the city of Mohammrah in 2015, after his livelihood was confiscated. Countless other incidents across Ahwazi cities have followed, each a testament to suffocating oppression, deprivation, and the collapse of hope. These are not “isolated incidents”; they are manifestations of a deeply rooted, systemic crisis designed to strip the Ahwazi person of his national and human dignity.

People of Ahwaz,

We in PADMAZ call upon our people to remain vigilant and not fall prey to the regime’s deceptive narratives — narratives wrapped in hollow slogans of “justice,” “religion,” and “shared culture.” The very officials who now shed crocodile tears are the architects of the policies that destroyed livelihoods, violated rights, and silenced voices. Do not be misled by theatrical visits, token committees, or empty promises. These are merely tools of distraction meant to disguise a far greater injustice: the occupation itself.

We urge our people to stand united and express their rejection of these racist policies through all legitimate means. A unified and conscious public voice is the strongest weapon we possess — capable of exposing injustice, compelling accountability, and preventing the recurrence of such tragedies. We also call on all national Ahwazi movements and organizations to close ranks and coordinate efforts. The challenges before us are grave, and they demand collective strength and a common stance.

To the international community, to human rights organizations, and to the United Nations:
We appeal for urgent and effective action to protect the Arab people of Ahwaz from ongoing violations by the Iranian regime. Independent investigations must be launched into the economic, environmental, and human rights abuses committed against our people. Silence in the face of these injustices is a moral failure that deepens the suffering of victims and emboldens the perpetrators.

May mercy and peace be upon the martyr, Ahmed Baldi.
Our deepest condolences to his family.
And may freedom and dignity prevail for our Arab people in Ahwaz.

Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement in Ahwaz (PADMAZ)
11  November 2025