When we look carefully at the history of Ahwazi Arab people of repression, violence and capital punishment we will find out that they have a bitter prolong experience of systematic crackdown in decades.
anwhile the execution of Ahwazian intellectuals historically have always inflected an irreparable blow to the liberty movement of this occupied nation which is struggling to gain its fundamental rights of self- determination for years. The executions of early leaders of Arabistan liberty movement in 1963 ,the repressive policies of Islamic republic of Iran against Ahwazi people in every aspects of their life, and the tragic bloody massacre of Almuhammerah city in 1979, and the harsh crackdown of popular uprising in 2005 are vivid evidences that the intellectuals Ahwazian figures and the political class of this nation repeatedly have been targeted by prison ,repression and execution.
The biggest popular uprising of Ahwazi people broke out on 9 April 2005 when people from different cities turned out into the streets and protested against the distribution of circular (petition) attributed to Mohammad Ali Abtahi ,former vice president parliamentary legal affairs of the president Mohammad Ali Khatami .
The following events of popular uprising in April 2005 in Ahwaz which was a peaceful demonstration against the malicious policy of central government about changing the demography of Ahwazian Arab people caused the people to remind the catastrophic massacre of Almuhammerah because after the widespread peaceful demonstration so many people have been killed in the street by Iranian squad riot forces and many civil and cultural activists executed and some clean-handed and innocent protester youths were killed under tortures and their bodies discovered in Karoon river whose their bodies were wrapped up by plastic and their sinless hands were tied up behind their backs by rope and after that such panic and suffocated climate dominated in the region and finally the nightmare of execution of highly educated ,intellectuals ,and civil and political activists started all over again.
To be mentioned that in 2006 and 2007 dozens of teachers and cultural activists arrested and after unfair trials and without access to lawyer they were charged with vague accusation such as acting against the national security ,enmity with God ,corrupting on earth and blasphemy and then condemned with execution or life imprisonment .
As a example MR. Zamel Bawi who was studying law at senior semester at university and was waiting for his graduation ceremony ,was arrested by intelligence security and under physical and psychological tortures had to bubble some fake confessions on himself and after an unfair and comedy trials in revolutionary court in Ahwaz he sentenced to death and his verdict verified by the higher court in Tehran .by the way, six immediate members of his family who were mostly student and cultural activists sentenced to life imprisonment and exiled to far- distance prisons outside Ahwaz.
Since the Ahmadinejat came to power to power the civil and cultural activities of Wefagh party banned in Ahwaz. This Arabic reformist party was acting in the framework of the current constitution and its political demand was implementing the article 15 and 19 articles of Iran constitution emphasizing on having equal basic rights for various non-Persian nations including Ahwazi nation for education in their mother language and having media and publication in their native language and demands for political and economic and cultural prosperity.
`The other anti- Arabic measures of Ahmadinejat government were halting the activities of about sixty Arabic civil , cultural institutes and other economic and scientific organizations in which declared illegal.
This radical policy shift of Ahmadinejat government converted the political climate of Ahwaz to a strict military climate that enforced the Ahwazian people to turn out in the streets for peaceful rally and peaceful demonstration against the waves of crackdown in Ahwaz.
In April 2011 a widespread peaceful demonstration engulfed most cities of Ahwaz including, Hamidia and shosh cities that the security forces killed two protesters as people courageously clapped and chanted “freedom for Ahwazi people” and most interestingly this public outcry was coincided with the spring of Arab world in which the totalitarian regimes overthrew and went to dustbin of history.
The execution of Arab activists has continued from 2005 to date. The last case was in June 2011 when four Arab activists (three of whom were brother),Abas Hedarian, Taha heidarian, Abdul-Rahman Hedarian, and Ali Naemimi (sharfi), were executed in karoon prison.
Through a video recording they released to the public (which they took secretly prior to their execution with a smuggled mobile phone), they announced that their confessions were basically false and extracted from them under sever duress and unspeakable torture .their death sentences had been issued based on their confessions ,which were aired on program on Press TV. Yet, various human rights organizations, human rights watch, and amnesty international organization condemned Iran of upholding the death penalty sentence against these young men but finally they executed simply.
Recently the local people discovered their mass grave in Bagh Malek city in which the security forces put their bodies into one grave and threw concert on them.
In recent months the Iranian judicial system has been knitting the rope of execution for five Ahwazian civil and cultural and political activists of Alkhalafia city from Ahwaz. They were sentenced to death in June 2012 by branch 2 of Ahwaz Revolutionary court and charged with militant activities. In December 2012, the branch 32 of The Supreme Court verified the death sentences of these elites and most thoughtful activists and approved the exact order,
Actually they were sentenced to death after clumsy and unjust trials they have been charged with enmity with God, national security, and militant activities and secession. It is a common policy in Iran that Ahwazi Arab activists are accused of such a charges and being a national security risk against the territorial integrity so-called Iran.
These charges usually carry a death penalty or harsh sentences by Iranian judicial system.
I am as ex-student of these prisoners must say that they were peaceful civil activists and co-founder of Al-Hiawr the cultural and the scientific institute which means dialogue in English and were members of Alwefagh institute in Ahwaz.
I am asking a question to whom it may concern that is it fair such educated and civil activist must be executed for the sake of their humble pen which is the only weapon that they raised up to struggle for having the rights of prosper life for their Ahwazi people who live under the poverty line while their land is rich with all kinds of natural resources like oil, gas, running water, mining stone, and many things else. is it fair that Ahwaz that is the heart of Iran economic, is considered one of the poorest cities among other Iran cities. From 2003 until now the climate weather in Ahwaz are dramatically changed because of the air pollution that is caused by industrial activities in all over Ahwaz.
Now Ahwaz is the most polluted city in Iran and the middle east and annually many people die from various breathing diseases and if we go to visit the conditions of people in the hospital we will see that the hospitals are occupied with out-number patients who suffer from cancer and breathing and chronic illnesses.
I should say that if our prisoners have done something is just because they could not be blind in front of the sufferings of their people. They could not be handcuffed and give up and watch what is going on for their Arab nation.
Everyone must bear in mind that these prisoners of khalafia city from Ahwaz are not criminal are not murderer and they did not spill the blood of anyone they just spilled the ink on paper to write the truth although the truth is always a bitter pill to swallow for corrupt dictatorial Iranian regime.
As we know most Human Rights Organizations, Human Rights Watch organization, the Amnesty International Organization and deputy chief of the EU foreign policy Cathrin Ashton condemned the death sentences that were confirmed against these Ahwazi prisoners and strongly urged Iran to quash their sentences .
۱:Mohommad Ali Amouri , an Ahwazi Arab, 36 years old, born in khalafiea, a Fisheriries Engineering graduated from Isfehan university of Technology. He was involved in various student activities during his studies. he was the founder of student newsletter called” AL-Torath” (Heritage) which was published at Isfehan university in both Arabic and Persian. He was forced to leave the country and flee to Iraq but he was detained for illegal entry into Iraq and served nearly five years in Basrah prison and despite the fact UNHCR in Iraq had granted him refugee statues, he was extradited to Iran by Iraqi government .
Having endured months of tortures and solitary confinement in the Intelligence detention centre, he was sentenced to death in June 2012 by the branch 2 of the Ahwazi Revolutionary court and charged with militant activities.
In December 2012, branch 32 of the Supreme Court confirmed and approved the final order.
۲: Hashem Shabbani: An Ahwazi Arab, 32 years old, born in khalafia, married with a three –year old daughter.
He holds an undergraduate degree in teaching language and Arabic literature. He is a master student of political science at university of Ahwaz. He is respected literary and famous intellectual figure in Ahwaz and has been engaged in teaching language and Arabic literature in the high school across the city.
Hashem Shabani is one of the founders of the Al- Hiwar intellectual and cultural institute. He was arrested on 13 February, 2011 along with other Al-Hiwar members and activists. After enduring months of savage torture in solitary confinement in the Intelligence detention centre, he was sentenced to death in June 2012 by Branch 2 of Revolutionary court and charged with terrorism –related activities and finally in December 2012, Branch 32 of the supreme court confirmed his death sentence.
۳: Hadi Rashi: An Ahwazi Arab , 38 years old, was born in Khalafia.
He holds a Master degree in Applied Chemistry and was working as a chemist teacher in high school across the Ahwaz. He is one of the founders of Al-Hiwar intellectual and cultural institute and was involved in organizing programs and poetry nights in Arabic.
He was arrested on28 February 2011 and after experiencing months of tortures in Intelligence security detention center, was sentence to death in June 2012 by Branch 2 of Ahwaz Revolutionary court and in December 2012, Branch 32 of the Supreme Court confirmed his death sentence.
۴:Seyed Jaber Alboushoukeh and his brother Seyed Mokhtar Alboushoukeh also were a member of Alhiwar intellectual and cultural institute and were sentenced to death along with their above_ mentioned friends .
