Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's attempts to generate support among critics of Western foreign policy are foundering due to growing concern over his government's treatment of Ahwazi Arabs.
Leading British anti-war MPs have signed an Early Day Motion criticising the Iranian regime's treatment of Ahwazi Arabs and calling for a halt to the execution of a number of Ahwazi men. The EDM, which has so far attracted the support of 42 MPs, notes "the long-running persecution of the Ahwazi Arabs in the south west Khuzestan region of Iran by the authorities in Tehran" and condemns the planned mass execution of Ahwazi Arabs. It also backs complaints by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch "that Iranian justice has meant that many Ahwazi Arab defendants have had no opportunity to meet their lawyers before their case has begun, have had one-day trials in secret with no witnesses and have had false confessions extracted through torture." ( click here to view the EDM text in full )
One of the signatories, John McDonnell (pictured), a left-wing MP who plans to stand for the Labour leadership when Tony Blair annouces his resignation, told the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS): "We all have a responsibility to stand up to protect the human rights and security of all those who are at risk. It is for this reason that I join many elected representatives drawn from across the world in calling for the rights of Ahwazi Arabs to be respected and for a halt to the threatened executions."
He is among eight members of the Socialist Campaign Group of left-wing Labour MPs who are supporting the EDM, along with Welsh nationalist Elfyn Llwyd and two members of Northern Ireland's Social Democratic and Labour Party who are also strong critics of Western foreign policy in the Middle East. The Green Party of England and Wales, which is affiliated to the Stop the War Coalition, has also criticised the treatment of Ahwazis. Last month Green MEPs Caroline Lucas - who is a Vice-President of the Stop the War Coalition - and Jean Lambert accused the Iranian regime of operating a policy of ethnic cleansing against Ahwazi Arabs ( click here for further details ). The Greens backed a cross-party European Parliament resolution condemning the planned executions.
BAFS Chairman Daniel Brett said: "The Ahwazi cause is often portrayed by the Iranian regime as part of a Western imperialist conspiracy to divide Iran and that Ahwazi Arabs are united behind President Ahmadinejad. However, even those opposed to Western military intervention in the Middle East are now highly critical of the persecution of Ahwazi Arabs.
"The regime cannot assume that it has the moral support of critics of Western foreign policy. The world is united in its condemnation of Iran's atrocious human rights violations, with the UN General Assembly strongly criticising the government's record.
"If the Iranian government wants to prove its critics wrong, then it must release all political prisoners, stop its campaign of executions, allow people to exercise their right to speech and freedom of association, halt the land confiscation programmes and end the persecution of women and minority groups."
Eleven Ahwazi Arabs are facing execution. They are:
1. Ali Mutairi from Mashour (Mahshahr)
2. Khalaf Khazeiri from Falahiyah (Shadegan)
3. Mohamad Chaab Pour from Tostar (Shoushtar)
4. Abdullah Farajulaah Chab from Tostar (Shoushtar)
5. Abdullah Solimani from Tostar (Shoushtar)
6. Majed Albu Ghubaish from Mashour (Mahshahr)
7. Ali Reza Asakre from Falahiyah (Shadegan)
8. Ghasem Salamat from Ahwaz City
9. Abdul Reza Sanawati from Ahwaz City
10. Saeed Hemidan from Khalafiyah (Ramshir)
11. Malek Banitamim from Tostar (Shoushtar)
The executions were due to take place on 14 November, but foreign governments have lobbied intensively to save the men's lives. On 16 November, the European Parliament voted unanimously to condemn the executions and on 21 November the UN General Assembly condemned Iran's justice system and the continued persecution of ethnic minority groups ( click here for details ).
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Labels: death penalty , UK
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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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