The head of judiciary for Khuzestan province, Sayed Khalil Akbar al-Sadat, claims that a planned bomb attack on a refinery in Abadan, near the border with Iraq, was foiled by Iranian security forces on Wednesday.
He claimed that "British spies" had attempted to blow up the refinery "using five Katyusha rockets with a timer on them." The allegations followed similar claims that British agents had tried to destroy a bridge in Ahwaz City on Monday and that British soldiers had been responsible for bomb attacks on a shopping centre in the city on Saturday, which killed six people.
The British government has condemned the attacks and denied any involvement. However, President Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday: "We have not found any proof that Britain is not involved in the events in Ahvaz and we have not seen anything that would dissipate our doubts about that country."
Nasser Ban-Assad, spokesman for the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) which lobbies on behalf of Ahwazi Arab organisations, said: "These bomb allegations are propaganda, intended to persuade the Iranian public that the Ahwazi Arabs are dangerous and bought off by foreign governments. This is a prelude to a new wave of ethnic cleansing.
"It is highly probable that there has been no attempt to attack Kianpars bridge or the refinery in Abadan and that these 'bombs' are imaginary, intended to create a climate of fear in the province in order to control the population.
"Ahmadinejad says there is no proof that the British are not involved in the attacks, but he has not given any proof that they are. It does not surprise anyone that the regime is employing such absurd arguments. Plenty of people in Iran have been imprisoned or executed because of the country's summary justice, which assumes that people are guilty until proven innocent.
"Any independent judiciary will judge a case on the facts, not suspicion. But Iran does not have an independent judiciary and there is no justice in a country that executes children in market squares and bulldozes houses of those who raise a voice against the regime. The only terrorists in Iran are those in power, who terrorise minorities, women and political opponents."
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keywords: ahvaz ahwaz ahwazi arabistan khuzestan khuzistan khuzestani arab arabistan iran iranian human rights security oil news ahmadinejad ethnic cleansing
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