The Iranian regime is preparing to put Abdul Rasoul Mazrae, a UNHCR-registered refugee illegally deported to Iran by the Syrian government in May last year, on trial in the next 20 days, his son has told the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS).
Mazrae - who is also known as Abdullah Abdulhamid Al-Tamimi (UNHCR file registration number 15010) - was accepted for asylum in Norway, after he was recognised as a refugee by the UNHCR office in Damascus. However, on 11 May 2006, shortly before he was due to be resettled, he was detained by Syrian authorities. For weeks after his arrest, the UNHCR repeatedly requested access to Mazrae and four other Ahwazi refugees detained by the Syrian authorities - Dutch national and Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) leader Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri, Saeed Saki, Taher Mazrae and Jamal Obidawi. The Syrian government repeatedly told the UNHCR that the men were safe in custody, when in fact they had been transferred to Tehran just days after their arrest. Taher Mazrae, Abdul Rasoul Mazrae's brother, and his family were granted asylum in Sweden. According to IRIN , following Taher's deportation to Iran, his family were prevented from leaving Damascus.
According to Mazrae's son, Taregh Abdullah Al-Tamimi, who lives in Norway, he has spent the past 10 months in solitary confinement in a prison in Ahwaz. He has also undergone physical and psychological torture. As a result of his torture, he is urinating blood and has lost all his teeth. His kidneys and liver are also damaged and injuries to his spine have left him unable to walk. His torturers have ordered him to give a televised confession for crimes he did not commit. Mazrae is a member of the ALO, a separatist Ahwazi group based in the Netherlands.
Amnesty International has accused Syria of breaking international law by deporting refugees to Iran ( click here for report ). In August 2006, it said: "Returning refugees or any other individual to a country where they are at risk of torture or ill-treatment or other serious human rights abuses is a violation of Syria's obligations under international law, including the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which it is a state party."
In December 2006, UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond appealed to Iranian authorities "to ensure the well-being of the four and allow for a fair trial and the right to due process."
"Extradition does not mean that a refugee or asylum seeker loses his or her international protection status," he added. "UNHCR also appeals for access to the four refugees and we are prepared to find alternative solutions for them."
The Iranian regime does not appear to have taken notice of the UNHCR's appeals and BAFS believes that the refugees are likely to face show trials and receive the death penalty. All five men left Iran long before the bomb attacks in Ahwaz of 2005 and 2006, so it is unclear what crimes they will be charged with.
BAFS member Reza Vashahi, who spoke to Al-Tamimi, said: "Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which includes the right not to be compelled to testify against oneself or to confess guilt (Article 14.3.g). Principle 21 of the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment states that it should be prohibited to take undue advantage of the situation of a detainee for the purpose of compelling him to confess or incriminate himself.
"Iranian must stop the torture and imprisonment of Ahwazi Arabs. Ahwazis must also receive a fair and public trial with access to their legal representatives.
"The secret nature of the trials of Ahwazi political prisoners and the way Iranian sentenced Ahwazi Arabs to death and executed them not only violate international standards of justice but also contravene Iranian law and sharia. For example, Ahwazis were executed during the month of Moharam, in which it is not permitted to kill."
BAFS Chairman Daniel Brett said: "Syria was part of a conspiracy to send Ahwazi Arab refugees to Iran. Consequently, it should face the same censure as the Iranian government for the illegal detention, deportation, torture and any future execution of these refugees. There is little doubt that both governments have blatantly violated international law and should face consequences.
"We urge European governments to do what they can to give asylum to Ahwazi political dissidents escaping Iran. The traditional safe havens for Ahwazis - Syria, Iraq and Kuwait - can no longer be regarded as safe. Syria is willing to break to international law on Iran's behalf and send Arabs to their death. Ahwazi exiles have been ejected from their homes in Iraq and some have been murdered. Kuwait also has an understanding with Iran under which Ahwazi activists may be deported to Iran, although no deportations have yet been carried out. Ahwazis also feel unsafe in the UAE and Bahrain, where Iranian intelligence agents are active.
"Iran's sphere of influence covers a large part of the Middle East and Ahwazi opposition activists cannot rely on international law to protect them. European states must hasten the transfer of Ahwazi refugees registered with the UNHCR to Europe."
Labels: human rights , Mansouri , refugees
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22 December, 2006
UNHCR: Syria lied over return of Ahwazi refugees
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has suggested that the Syrian government lied to the UN and broke international law when it secretly deported four Ahwazi Arab refugees to Iran in May (
click here for UNHCR's statement
).
UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said the organisation was "extremely worried" about the four Ahwazis who Syria deported to Iran despite promising not to, and despite resettlement places already having been secured abroad for them. The Syrian regime, which is allied to Iran, lied to the UN that the four were in custody after they had been forcibly removed to Tehran.
The British Ahwazi Frienship Society (BAFS) has learned that the prominent Ahwazi dissident Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri, a refugee who obtained Dutch nationality, is being held in Section 209 of Evin Prison, which operates as a torture centre run by the Ministry of the Interior. He had fled Iran after being sentenced to death in 1989 for his activities.
Redmond appealed to Iranian authorities "to ensure the well-being of the four and allow for a fair trial and the right to due process."
"Extradition does not mean that a refugee or asylum seeker loses his or her international protection status," he added. "UNHCR also appeals for access to the four refugees and we are prepared to find alternative solutions for them."
In a statement released to the media, the UNHCR calls on Syria to abide by its obligations under international law and to ensure that the principle of non-refoulement is recognised. According to Article 34 of the Syrian Constitution, the deportation of refugees to countries where they will face persecution should be prevented. Moreover, non-refoulement is a principle of customary international law which prohibits states from returning a refugee or asylum seeker to territories where there is a risk that his or her life or freedom would be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. This principle has precedence over any bilateral or multilateral extradition agreement.
Amnesty International has been among those who have accused the Syrian regime of defying international law with the illegal deportation of Ahwazi refugees.
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The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has suggested that the Syrian government lied to the UN and broke international law when it secretly deported four Ahwazi Arab refugees to Iran in May (
click here for UNHCR's statement
).
UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said the organisation was "extremely worried" about the four Ahwazis who Syria deported to Iran despite promising not to, and despite resettlement places already having been secured abroad for them. The Syrian regime, which is allied to Iran, lied to the UN that the four were in custody after they had been forcibly removed to Tehran.
The British Ahwazi Frienship Society (BAFS) has learned that the prominent Ahwazi dissident Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri, a refugee who obtained Dutch nationality, is being held in Section 209 of Evin Prison, which operates as a torture centre run by the Ministry of the Interior. He had fled Iran after being sentenced to death in 1989 for his activities.
Redmond appealed to Iranian authorities "to ensure the well-being of the four and allow for a fair trial and the right to due process."
"Extradition does not mean that a refugee or asylum seeker loses his or her international protection status," he added. "UNHCR also appeals for access to the four refugees and we are prepared to find alternative solutions for them."
In a statement released to the media, the UNHCR calls on Syria to abide by its obligations under international law and to ensure that the principle of non-refoulement is recognised. According to Article 34 of the Syrian Constitution, the deportation of refugees to countries where they will face persecution should be prevented. Moreover, non-refoulement is a principle of customary international law which prohibits states from returning a refugee or asylum seeker to territories where there is a risk that his or her life or freedom would be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. This principle has precedence over any bilateral or multilateral extradition agreement.
Amnesty International has been among those who have accused the Syrian regime of defying international law with the illegal deportation of Ahwazi refugees.
Labels: human rights , Mansouri , refugees
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11 December, 2006
Iran/Syria: Ahwazis in fear after news of deportation and deaths
The following report was published by IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service - click here for the original article
Ethnic Arab (Ahwazi) refugees from Iran now living in Damascus have expressed fear as news emerged that Syria has deported three more Ahwazi activists to Iran, where they face torture and execution.
Three Ahwazi activists, thought to be imprisoned in Damascus since their arrest in April, were deported to Iran in May, Sima Watling of Amnesty International's East Gulf team told IRIN on 6 December.
Watling said relatives of two of the men, Rasool Mazra - whose family has resettled in Norway - and Taher Mazra - whose family was prevented from leaving Syria for Sweden in October - had received telephone calls from the men to say they were being held in Karoun Prison, in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan.
On 7 December, a source who spoke directly to the family of Taher Mazra told IRIN that Taher Mazra was, indeed, forcibly returned from Syria to Iran in May. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Rasool Mazra had also called his family in Khuzestan to say he was imprisoned and was facing imminent execution.
Both men had been recognised as refugees by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Laurens Jolles, acting head of the UNHCR in Damascus, said that despite numerous requests, the agency had been unable to obtain information about the status of the Ahwazis arrested in Syria.
"Syria is aware that its own constitution prevents the deportation of refugees to countries where they will face persecution, as do international laws," he said.
Both men are members of the Ahwazi Liberation Organization (ALO), the Ahwazis' leading political opposition movement, and according to their families they had been tortured since their recent captivity in Iran.
The third Ahwazi, Jamal Obaidy (pictured), Chair of Ahwazi Student Union in Syria, is also believed to have been deported to Iran, though no contact has been made with his family. Neither Iran nor Syria have confirmed or denied any of the three returns.
The UNHCR in Damascus is currently unable to confirm that Rasool Mazra, Jamal Obaidy and Taher Mazra have been deported from Syria to Iran.
The news followed two similar cases of deportation.
Faleh Abdullah Mansuri, the 60-year-old head of the ALO who holds Dutch citizenship, was also arrested by Syrian security in April while he was visiting an Ahwazi friend in Damascus.
Syrian authorities confirmed earlier this year that Mansuri, also a UNHCR recognised refugee, was deported to Tehran in May at the request of Iran, just a few weeks before the two countries signed a landmark agreement on military and security cooperation.
Mansuri is now reportedly in prison in Tehran, facing a sentence of death by hanging imposed on him in 1988 by a military court, apparently in connection with his activities as a member of the ALO.
Saeed Saki, also a member of the ALO and a UNHCR refugee, had been due to be resettled in Norway when he was arrested and extradited to Tehran. Only high-level intervention from international officials prevented his execution, and he remains imprisoned in Iran.
Since an uprising by Ahwazis in April 2005 - a two-month campaign of civil unrest that culminated in a bomb attack on an oil installation east of Ahvaz - Iran has intensified its campaign against the Ahwazis, detaining more than 25,000, executing at least 131 while more than 150 have disappeared, according to the US-based Ahwazi Human Rights Organisation.
Amnesty International report that following the uprising hundreds of Khuzestan's Arabs were arrested, some were reportedly tortured, and at least two men were executed following unfair trials.
A source at the Iranian embassy in Damascus, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied that any prisoners of conscience had been extradited from Syria to Iran.
"There is an agreement between Syria and Iran that any Iranian who has been jailed in Syria for a crime can be transferred to complete his sentence in Iran," he said. "But no prisoners of conscience have been handed over to Iran by Syria."
Ahwazi refugees first began arriving in Iraq and Syria in the 1980s during the Iran/Iraq war as Tehran accused them of supporting Baghdad.
The past two years has seen concern rising about the deteriorating human rights situation in Khuzestan where activists estimate some 1.5 million Arabs have been driven off their land by a series of vast state-sponsored industrial projects, coupled to massive organised influxes of Persian workers and their families.
According to human rights organisations, individuals promoting Arab rights in Khuzestan have been targeted, and access to the region has been denied to foreign and local journalists.
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The following report was published by IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service - click here for the original article
Ethnic Arab (Ahwazi) refugees from Iran now living in Damascus have expressed fear as news emerged that Syria has deported three more Ahwazi activists to Iran, where they face torture and execution.
Three Ahwazi activists, thought to be imprisoned in Damascus since their arrest in April, were deported to Iran in May, Sima Watling of Amnesty International's East Gulf team told IRIN on 6 December.
Watling said relatives of two of the men, Rasool Mazra - whose family has resettled in Norway - and Taher Mazra - whose family was prevented from leaving Syria for Sweden in October - had received telephone calls from the men to say they were being held in Karoun Prison, in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan.
On 7 December, a source who spoke directly to the family of Taher Mazra told IRIN that Taher Mazra was, indeed, forcibly returned from Syria to Iran in May. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Rasool Mazra had also called his family in Khuzestan to say he was imprisoned and was facing imminent execution.
Both men had been recognised as refugees by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Laurens Jolles, acting head of the UNHCR in Damascus, said that despite numerous requests, the agency had been unable to obtain information about the status of the Ahwazis arrested in Syria.
"Syria is aware that its own constitution prevents the deportation of refugees to countries where they will face persecution, as do international laws," he said.
Both men are members of the Ahwazi Liberation Organization (ALO), the Ahwazis' leading political opposition movement, and according to their families they had been tortured since their recent captivity in Iran.
The third Ahwazi, Jamal Obaidy (pictured), Chair of Ahwazi Student Union in Syria, is also believed to have been deported to Iran, though no contact has been made with his family. Neither Iran nor Syria have confirmed or denied any of the three returns.
The UNHCR in Damascus is currently unable to confirm that Rasool Mazra, Jamal Obaidy and Taher Mazra have been deported from Syria to Iran.
The news followed two similar cases of deportation.
Faleh Abdullah Mansuri, the 60-year-old head of the ALO who holds Dutch citizenship, was also arrested by Syrian security in April while he was visiting an Ahwazi friend in Damascus.
Syrian authorities confirmed earlier this year that Mansuri, also a UNHCR recognised refugee, was deported to Tehran in May at the request of Iran, just a few weeks before the two countries signed a landmark agreement on military and security cooperation.
Mansuri is now reportedly in prison in Tehran, facing a sentence of death by hanging imposed on him in 1988 by a military court, apparently in connection with his activities as a member of the ALO.
Saeed Saki, also a member of the ALO and a UNHCR refugee, had been due to be resettled in Norway when he was arrested and extradited to Tehran. Only high-level intervention from international officials prevented his execution, and he remains imprisoned in Iran.
Since an uprising by Ahwazis in April 2005 - a two-month campaign of civil unrest that culminated in a bomb attack on an oil installation east of Ahvaz - Iran has intensified its campaign against the Ahwazis, detaining more than 25,000, executing at least 131 while more than 150 have disappeared, according to the US-based Ahwazi Human Rights Organisation.
Amnesty International report that following the uprising hundreds of Khuzestan's Arabs were arrested, some were reportedly tortured, and at least two men were executed following unfair trials.
A source at the Iranian embassy in Damascus, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied that any prisoners of conscience had been extradited from Syria to Iran.
"There is an agreement between Syria and Iran that any Iranian who has been jailed in Syria for a crime can be transferred to complete his sentence in Iran," he said. "But no prisoners of conscience have been handed over to Iran by Syria."
Ahwazi refugees first began arriving in Iraq and Syria in the 1980s during the Iran/Iraq war as Tehran accused them of supporting Baghdad.
The past two years has seen concern rising about the deteriorating human rights situation in Khuzestan where activists estimate some 1.5 million Arabs have been driven off their land by a series of vast state-sponsored industrial projects, coupled to massive organised influxes of Persian workers and their families.
According to human rights organisations, individuals promoting Arab rights in Khuzestan have been targeted, and access to the region has been denied to foreign and local journalists.
Labels: Amnesty , Mansouri , refugees , UN
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09 December, 2006
Al-Mansouri to receive "open trial" in Iran
This report is based on an article by Danya Chaikel, a Maastricht resident, in the on-line Crossroads magazine.
Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot has received assurances from his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, currently on a visit in the Netherlands, that Ahwazi dissident and Dutch citizen Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (pictured with the mayor of Maastricht) is still alive in Iran and that he will get an open trial.
Al-Mansouri, a UNHCR registered refugee and leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO), was abducted by Syrian authorities while on a visit to Damascus in May and illegally deported to Iran, in contravention of the Geneva Conventions on Refugees. He is currently being held in Section 209 of Evin Prison, which is run by the Ministry of the Intelligence and where opposition activists are tortured by interrogators.
An open trial will mean that representatives of the Dutch embassy or consulate will be allowed in court. Mottari added that Al-Mansouri's family would be allowed to visit him in Iran. He did not however give any information about the visa application submitted by Al-Mansouri's Dutch lawyer Gerard Spong. Iran does not recognise Al-Mansouri's Dutch nationality.
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This report is based on an article by Danya Chaikel, a Maastricht resident, in the on-line Crossroads magazine.
Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot has received assurances from his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, currently on a visit in the Netherlands, that Ahwazi dissident and Dutch citizen Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (pictured with the mayor of Maastricht) is still alive in Iran and that he will get an open trial.
Al-Mansouri, a UNHCR registered refugee and leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO), was abducted by Syrian authorities while on a visit to Damascus in May and illegally deported to Iran, in contravention of the Geneva Conventions on Refugees. He is currently being held in Section 209 of Evin Prison, which is run by the Ministry of the Intelligence and where opposition activists are tortured by interrogators.
An open trial will mean that representatives of the Dutch embassy or consulate will be allowed in court. Mottari added that Al-Mansouri's family would be allowed to visit him in Iran. He did not however give any information about the visa application submitted by Al-Mansouri's Dutch lawyer Gerard Spong. Iran does not recognise Al-Mansouri's Dutch nationality.
According to Dagblad De Limburger, Amnesty International Maastricht spokesperson Sigrid Haenen comments that the human rights group is caustiously optimistic about this latest development, but that it will advise Al-Mansouri's family not to accept Iran's offer ( click here for report ). Al-Mansouri's son believes that his father's lawyer Gerard Spong would be more helpful to him at this point in Iran than his direct family ( click here for more information ).
Dagblad De Limburger further reports that Amnesty International Maastricht hopes that the city will send an official representative - "preferably Gerd Leers himself" - to Iran in order to ensure that Al-Mansouri, who is charged by Iranian authorities for "terrorist activities", receives a fair trial.
Al-Mansouri was a former high-ranking officer in the Iranian military who rebelled against the Islamic Republic during the Iran-Iraq War. He was sentenced to death by an Iranian military court in 1988, but escaped from custody and fled to Baghdad. He, his wife and four children were relocated to the Netherlands by the UNHCR in 1989 and later acquired Dutch citizenship.
It is unclear whether the Dutch government has accepted the methods by which Al-Mansouri was abducted and transferred to Iran or whether it is making representations to move the dissident from Section 209. The Iranian government has not given any assurance of open trials for four other Ahwazi refugees abducted from Damascus and it is unclear whether the Dutch government is pursuing these cases. The UNHCR has issued complaints on behalf of all five men.
Labels: Amnesty , Mansouri , refugees
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27 November, 2006
Iran: human rights organisations launch on-line appeal
Below is a joint appeal to the global human rights community by the Human Rights Activists in Iran (H.R.A.I), the Committee Defense for Human Rights in north-west of Iran (H.RN.W.I), the Kurdish Human Rights defense organization (R.M.M.K) and the Ahwazi Human Rights Organization (A.H.R.O) concerning the situation of the Evin Prison in Iran. Click here to sign the petition .
To: The Secretary General of the United Nations, The UN Human Rights Council , Amnesty International, Human Rights watch
An appeal to all Human Right Organizations of the World
Section 209 of Evin Prison in Iran is run by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic and except for the ministry agents no other government bodies have any control over the prison affairs.
During the last years many of Iran political prisoners have died in this Section under torture and many others kept in it have ended up being executed by firing squads or hanged. At this moment of time hundreds of similar prisoners are kept in this Section and the Ministry of Intelligence would not allow their names to be added to the long list of Iran political prisoners.
Most of these prisoners are held in solitary confinement and are constantly interrogated while under physical and psychological torture. The families of these prisoners very rarely have any information about the health or conditions of their loved ones, who are most of the time handcuffed and blindfolded, are denied of medical care and legal representation and do not even know on what charges they have been arrested. In Section 209 of Evin Prison even the very own repressive rules of the regime are not followed.
Those currently held at the Section include political dissidents, human rights activists, students, trade union officials and workers, as well as many other Iranians from all walks of life.
The following people are among the prisoners at Section 209:
Ali Akbar Mussavi Khoini, Dr. Saeed Masoori, Ahmad Batebi, Kayvan Rafii, Kianoosh Sanjari, Dr. Kayvan Ansari, Abulfazl Jahandar, Kheirullah Derakhshandi, Abdullah Al Mansouri, Ayatollah Kazemi Boroujerdi and many of his followers, as well as many prisoners from other provinces of Iran who have been transferred to Evin from their local prisons.
We, the undersigned, would therefore urge the Secretary General of the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Council, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to assign a special investigating committee to visit Section 209 of Evin Prison in Iran and publish a report on their findings.
1- Human Rights Activists in Iran (H.R.A.I)
2- Committee Defence for Human Rights in North-West of Iran (H.R.N.W.I)
3- Kurdish Human Rights defence organization (R.M.M.K)
4- Ahwazi Human Rights organization (A.H.R.O)
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Below is a joint appeal to the global human rights community by the Human Rights Activists in Iran (H.R.A.I), the Committee Defense for Human Rights in north-west of Iran (H.RN.W.I), the Kurdish Human Rights defense organization (R.M.M.K) and the Ahwazi Human Rights Organization (A.H.R.O) concerning the situation of the Evin Prison in Iran. Click here to sign the petition .
To: The Secretary General of the United Nations, The UN Human Rights Council , Amnesty International, Human Rights watch
An appeal to all Human Right Organizations of the World
Section 209 of Evin Prison in Iran is run by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic and except for the ministry agents no other government bodies have any control over the prison affairs.
During the last years many of Iran political prisoners have died in this Section under torture and many others kept in it have ended up being executed by firing squads or hanged. At this moment of time hundreds of similar prisoners are kept in this Section and the Ministry of Intelligence would not allow their names to be added to the long list of Iran political prisoners.
Most of these prisoners are held in solitary confinement and are constantly interrogated while under physical and psychological torture. The families of these prisoners very rarely have any information about the health or conditions of their loved ones, who are most of the time handcuffed and blindfolded, are denied of medical care and legal representation and do not even know on what charges they have been arrested. In Section 209 of Evin Prison even the very own repressive rules of the regime are not followed.
Those currently held at the Section include political dissidents, human rights activists, students, trade union officials and workers, as well as many other Iranians from all walks of life.
The following people are among the prisoners at Section 209:
Ali Akbar Mussavi Khoini, Dr. Saeed Masoori, Ahmad Batebi, Kayvan Rafii, Kianoosh Sanjari, Dr. Kayvan Ansari, Abulfazl Jahandar, Kheirullah Derakhshandi, Abdullah Al Mansouri, Ayatollah Kazemi Boroujerdi and many of his followers, as well as many prisoners from other provinces of Iran who have been transferred to Evin from their local prisons.
We, the undersigned, would therefore urge the Secretary General of the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Council, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to assign a special investigating committee to visit Section 209 of Evin Prison in Iran and publish a report on their findings.
1- Human Rights Activists in Iran (H.R.A.I)
2- Committee Defence for Human Rights in North-West of Iran (H.R.N.W.I)
3- Kurdish Human Rights defence organization (R.M.M.K)
4- Ahwazi Human Rights organization (A.H.R.O)
Labels: human rights , Mansouri , refugees , UN
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22 November, 2006
Syria sends more Ahwazi Arab refugees to their death
The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) has denounced the deportation of another group of Ahwazi citizens living in Syria to Iran in a press released issued this week (
click here to download
).
Human rights organisations and the UNHCR have received credible reports that Syria deported three more UNHCR-registered refugees in addition to Saeed Saki and Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (a Dutch national): Taher Mazrae, Rasool Ali Mazrae and Jamal Obaidawi (pictured).
An SHRC media spokesman claimed that Syria have breached its obligations under human rights conventions that commit it to protect recognised refugees. Syria had agreed to host the refugees and permit them to carry out their political activities. The SHRC spokesman called on the Syrian authorities to cease breaking its human rights obligations and to use their influence on Iran to release the Ahwazi detainees.
Amnesty International has previously condemned the deportation of Ahwazi Arab refugees as a violation of international law.
Currently, 11 Ahwazi Arabs are awaiting execution in Iran. Last week, four more Ahwazis - Risan Sawari, Aqil Sawari, Mohammad Ali Sawari and Jafar Sawari - were sentenced to death.
Related stories:
Iran/Netherlands: Dutch Ahwazi activist in Evin prison torture chamber - 19 October
UNHCR deeply concerned about Ahwazi refugees in Syria - 16 September
UNPO: "Iran Must End Repression against Minority Groups" - 15 August
"Syria has violated international law" - Amnesty International - 11 August
Ahwazi Arabs unite against Syrian "treachery" - 11 August
Netherlands abandons Dutch Ahwazi activist - 11 August
Syria deports Ahwazis to Iran, including Dutch national - 9 August
Ahwazis face arrest, deportation and execution - 1 July
UNPO highlights plight of Ahwazis on International Refugee Day - 20 June
UNHCR calls on Syria not to extradite Ahwazi refugees - 6 June
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody - 19 May
Kuwaiti newspaper publishes call for an end to Syria's anti-Ahwazi policy - 18 May
Syria's deportation scandal - 16 May
Lebanese democrats support Ahwazis - 16 May
Ahwazi Arabs arrested in Syria on Iran's request - 13 May
More arrests of Ahwazi Arabs in Syria - 15 May
Ahwazis arrested in Syria - 1 May
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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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The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) has denounced the deportation of another group of Ahwazi citizens living in Syria to Iran in a press released issued this week (
click here to download
).
Human rights organisations and the UNHCR have received credible reports that Syria deported three more UNHCR-registered refugees in addition to Saeed Saki and Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (a Dutch national): Taher Mazrae, Rasool Ali Mazrae and Jamal Obaidawi (pictured).
An SHRC media spokesman claimed that Syria have breached its obligations under human rights conventions that commit it to protect recognised refugees. Syria had agreed to host the refugees and permit them to carry out their political activities. The SHRC spokesman called on the Syrian authorities to cease breaking its human rights obligations and to use their influence on Iran to release the Ahwazi detainees.
Amnesty International has previously condemned the deportation of Ahwazi Arab refugees as a violation of international law.
Currently, 11 Ahwazi Arabs are awaiting execution in Iran. Last week, four more Ahwazis - Risan Sawari, Aqil Sawari, Mohammad Ali Sawari and Jafar Sawari - were sentenced to death.
Related stories:
Iran/Netherlands: Dutch Ahwazi activist in Evin prison torture chamber - 19 October
UNHCR deeply concerned about Ahwazi refugees in Syria - 16 September
UNPO: "Iran Must End Repression against Minority Groups" - 15 August
"Syria has violated international law" - Amnesty International - 11 August
Ahwazi Arabs unite against Syrian "treachery" - 11 August
Netherlands abandons Dutch Ahwazi activist - 11 August
Syria deports Ahwazis to Iran, including Dutch national - 9 August
Ahwazis face arrest, deportation and execution - 1 July
UNPO highlights plight of Ahwazis on International Refugee Day - 20 June
UNHCR calls on Syria not to extradite Ahwazi refugees - 6 June
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody - 19 May
Kuwaiti newspaper publishes call for an end to Syria's anti-Ahwazi policy - 18 May
Syria's deportation scandal - 16 May
Lebanese democrats support Ahwazis - 16 May
Ahwazi Arabs arrested in Syria on Iran's request - 13 May
More arrests of Ahwazi Arabs in Syria - 15 May
Ahwazis arrested in Syria - 1 May
Labels: Mansouri , refugees , UN
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18 October, 2006
Iran/Netherlands: Dutch Ahwazi activist in Evin prison torture chamber
Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansuri, a Dutch citizen and the leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) (pictured with the mayor of his home town Maastricht), has been transferred to Evin prison after being extradited to Iran by the Syrian authorities.
Al-Mansuri is being held in Section 209 of the notorious Evin prison, according to Iranian human rights activists. Section 209, where high-profile political prisoners are held, is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence, which conducts continuous interrogations involving torture. In the prison's torture chambers, inmates are forced to confess to crimes and repent. Prisoners are shackled and kept in solitary confinement with many dying from poor sanitary conditions. Summary executions are often carried out by firing squad.
The ALO advocates Ahwazi Arab independence from Iran and views itself as a government-in-exile. However, no proof has been provided that it has been involved in any terrorist activities, nor is it among the number of different organisations that have claimed responsibility for bomb attacks in Ahwaz over the past 18 months.
Links
Ahwazi refugees remain in Syrian custody - AHRO - 18 August
UNPO: "Iran Must End Repression against Minority Groups" - 15 August
"Syria has violated international law" - Amnesty International - 11 August
Ahwazi Arabs unite against Syrian "treachery" - 11 August
Netherlands abandons Dutch Ahwazi activist - 11 August
Syria deports Ahwazis to Iran, including Dutch national - 9 August
Statement by Amnesty Maastricht on the detention of Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (in Dutch)
U.N. tells Syria not to extradite Ahwazi refugees - 7 June 2006, Ya Libnan
Amnesty International report on fear of forcible return and torture of Ahwazi refugees - 2 June 2006, Amnesty International
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody - 19 May 2006, BAFS
Syrian human rights activists arrested amid Ahwazi deportation scandal - 17 May 2006, BAFS
Syria's deportation scandal - 16 May 2006, BAFS
Syria arresting Ahwazi Arabs to please Iran - 16 May 2006, Ya Libnan
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Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansuri, a Dutch citizen and the leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) (pictured with the mayor of his home town Maastricht), has been transferred to Evin prison after being extradited to Iran by the Syrian authorities.
Al-Mansuri is being held in Section 209 of the notorious Evin prison, according to Iranian human rights activists. Section 209, where high-profile political prisoners are held, is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence, which conducts continuous interrogations involving torture. In the prison's torture chambers, inmates are forced to confess to crimes and repent. Prisoners are shackled and kept in solitary confinement with many dying from poor sanitary conditions. Summary executions are often carried out by firing squad.
The ALO advocates Ahwazi Arab independence from Iran and views itself as a government-in-exile. However, no proof has been provided that it has been involved in any terrorist activities, nor is it among the number of different organisations that have claimed responsibility for bomb attacks in Ahwaz over the past 18 months.
Links
Ahwazi refugees remain in Syrian custody - AHRO - 18 August
UNPO: "Iran Must End Repression against Minority Groups" - 15 August
"Syria has violated international law" - Amnesty International - 11 August
Ahwazi Arabs unite against Syrian "treachery" - 11 August
Netherlands abandons Dutch Ahwazi activist - 11 August
Syria deports Ahwazis to Iran, including Dutch national - 9 August
Statement by Amnesty Maastricht on the detention of Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (in Dutch)
U.N. tells Syria not to extradite Ahwazi refugees - 7 June 2006, Ya Libnan
Amnesty International report on fear of forcible return and torture of Ahwazi refugees - 2 June 2006, Amnesty International
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody - 19 May 2006, BAFS
Syrian human rights activists arrested amid Ahwazi deportation scandal - 17 May 2006, BAFS
Syria's deportation scandal - 16 May 2006, BAFS
Syria arresting Ahwazi Arabs to please Iran - 16 May 2006, Ya Libnan
Labels: Mansouri , refugees
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09 August, 2006
Syria deports Ahwazis to Iran, including Dutch national
The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has learnt that the Syrian government has deported all Ahwazis, including UNHCR registered refugees and a Dutch national, in its custody to Iran where they will face arrest, torture and execution.
Eight Ahwazis were detained by the Syrian authorities in May, including Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri, a 60 year old Dutch national and leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation.
Three were later released, but Said Awdeh Saki (pictured), a UNHCR registered refugee who was due to be relocated to Norway, was deported to Iran by the Syrian authorities. Saki is now being held at an unknown location in Iran.
Syria has defied calls by the Dutch government, the UNHCR, Amnesty International and Arab human rights groups, including the Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation, to release the remaining detainees and instead sent them to Iran ( click here for AHRO's appeal ).
At the weekend, members of Amnesty International protested outside the Syrian embassy in Brussels calling for Al-Mansouri's release (
click here for more information
). The ALO leader is well-known in Maastricht, where he lived before he was kidnapped by the Syrian regime, and is friends with the city's mayor (picture shows Mayor of Maastricht with Al-Mansouri).
The ALO has confirmed that Al-Mansouri has been deported after receiving a letter from the Dutch government informing them of Syria's deportation decision. The UNHCR has also received notification of the deportations.
Others sent to Iran include Gamal Obaidy (pictured), a 34 year old student at Damascus University and Chair of Ahwazi Student Union in Syria, and Ahwazi political activists Taher Ali Mazrae and Abdulrasoul Ali Mazrae, who are both brothers.
BAFS spokesman Nasser Bani Assad said: "The regime of President Bashar Al-Assad has chosen to align himself with the Islamic Republic of Iran against the indigenous Ahwazi Arabs. The move belies his claims of pan-Arab solidarity. The Syrian regime is nothing but a puppet of Tehran and has no respect for humanitarian conventions or international law. President Assad's decision to deport Ahwazis puts the entire Ahwazi community in Damascus, which is thousands strong, under threat.
"Syria's decision comes amid threats against Ahwazi political refugees in the UAE and Kuwait and the assassination of an Ahwazi opposition leader in Iraq's Basra province earlier this year. The European Union must protest strongly at Syria's illegal actions."
Links
Statement by Amnesty Maastricht on the detention of Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (in Dutch)
U.N. tells Syria not to extradite Ahwazi refugees - 7 June 2006, Ya Libnan
Amnesty International report on fear of forcible return and torture of Ahwazi refugees - 2 June 2006, Amnesty International
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody - 19 May 2006, BAFS
Syrian human rights activists arrested amid Ahwazi deportation scandal - 17 May 2006, BAFS
Syria's deportation scandal - 16 May 2006, BAFS
Syria arresting Ahwazi Arabs to please Iran - 16 May 2006, Ya Libnan
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The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has learnt that the Syrian government has deported all Ahwazis, including UNHCR registered refugees and a Dutch national, in its custody to Iran where they will face arrest, torture and execution.
Eight Ahwazis were detained by the Syrian authorities in May, including Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri, a 60 year old Dutch national and leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation.
Three were later released, but Said Awdeh Saki (pictured), a UNHCR registered refugee who was due to be relocated to Norway, was deported to Iran by the Syrian authorities. Saki is now being held at an unknown location in Iran.
Syria has defied calls by the Dutch government, the UNHCR, Amnesty International and Arab human rights groups, including the Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation, to release the remaining detainees and instead sent them to Iran ( click here for AHRO's appeal ).
At the weekend, members of Amnesty International protested outside the Syrian embassy in Brussels calling for Al-Mansouri's release (
click here for more information
). The ALO leader is well-known in Maastricht, where he lived before he was kidnapped by the Syrian regime, and is friends with the city's mayor (picture shows Mayor of Maastricht with Al-Mansouri).
The ALO has confirmed that Al-Mansouri has been deported after receiving a letter from the Dutch government informing them of Syria's deportation decision. The UNHCR has also received notification of the deportations.
Others sent to Iran include Gamal Obaidy (pictured), a 34 year old student at Damascus University and Chair of Ahwazi Student Union in Syria, and Ahwazi political activists Taher Ali Mazrae and Abdulrasoul Ali Mazrae, who are both brothers.
BAFS spokesman Nasser Bani Assad said: "The regime of President Bashar Al-Assad has chosen to align himself with the Islamic Republic of Iran against the indigenous Ahwazi Arabs. The move belies his claims of pan-Arab solidarity. The Syrian regime is nothing but a puppet of Tehran and has no respect for humanitarian conventions or international law. President Assad's decision to deport Ahwazis puts the entire Ahwazi community in Damascus, which is thousands strong, under threat.
"Syria's decision comes amid threats against Ahwazi political refugees in the UAE and Kuwait and the assassination of an Ahwazi opposition leader in Iraq's Basra province earlier this year. The European Union must protest strongly at Syria's illegal actions."
Links
Statement by Amnesty Maastricht on the detention of Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (in Dutch)
U.N. tells Syria not to extradite Ahwazi refugees - 7 June 2006, Ya Libnan
Amnesty International report on fear of forcible return and torture of Ahwazi refugees - 2 June 2006, Amnesty International
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody - 19 May 2006, BAFS
Syrian human rights activists arrested amid Ahwazi deportation scandal - 17 May 2006, BAFS
Syria's deportation scandal - 16 May 2006, BAFS
Syria arresting Ahwazi Arabs to please Iran - 16 May 2006, Ya Libnan
Labels: Mansouri , refugees
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06 August, 2006
Amnesty Belgium demonstrates outside Syrian embassy over Ahwazi refugees
Amnesty International Belgium held a demonstration outside the Syrian embassy in Brussels on Friday to protest at the detention of Ahwazi refugees in Damascus. Dutch national Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (60), leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) which supports independence for Arab regions of Iran, has also been detained illegally by the Syrian authorities.
One detained Ahwazi, Saeed Awdeh al-Saki, who was due to be moved to Norway by the UNHCR, has been removed to Iran by the Syrian authorities where he faces torture and possible execution.
Over the past year, international NGOs and UN agencies have documented the persecution of Ahwazi Arabs in Iran. Many Arabs believe that the Syrian government's decision to detain Ahwazis indicates that President Bashar Al-Assad is willing to sacrifice solidarity with persecuted Arabs for the sake of his new-found allegiance to Tehran.
According to the Gulf Times, the Dutch government has demanded an explanation from Syria over Al-Mansouri's detention. Al-Mansouri has been a resident of Maastricht in the Netherlands since he fled to the country in 1989.
Photos submitted to BAFS by the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation .
Links
Statement by Amnesty Maastricht on the detention of Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (in Dutch)
U.N. tells Syria not to extradite Ahwazi refugees - 7 June 2006, Ya Libnan
Amnesty International report on fear of forcible return and torture of Ahwazi refugees - 2 June 2006, Amnesty International
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody - 19 May 2006, BAFS
Syrian human rights activists arrested amid Ahwazi deportation scandal - 17 May 2006, BAFS
Syria's deportation scandal - 16 May 2006, BAFS
Syria arresting Ahwazi Arabs to please Iran - 16 May 2006, Ya Libnan
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Amnesty International Belgium held a demonstration outside the Syrian embassy in Brussels on Friday to protest at the detention of Ahwazi refugees in Damascus. Dutch national Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (60), leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) which supports independence for Arab regions of Iran, has also been detained illegally by the Syrian authorities.
One detained Ahwazi, Saeed Awdeh al-Saki, who was due to be moved to Norway by the UNHCR, has been removed to Iran by the Syrian authorities where he faces torture and possible execution.
Over the past year, international NGOs and UN agencies have documented the persecution of Ahwazi Arabs in Iran. Many Arabs believe that the Syrian government's decision to detain Ahwazis indicates that President Bashar Al-Assad is willing to sacrifice solidarity with persecuted Arabs for the sake of his new-found allegiance to Tehran.
According to the Gulf Times, the Dutch government has demanded an explanation from Syria over Al-Mansouri's detention. Al-Mansouri has been a resident of Maastricht in the Netherlands since he fled to the country in 1989.
Photos submitted to BAFS by the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation .
Links
Statement by Amnesty Maastricht on the detention of Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (in Dutch)
U.N. tells Syria not to extradite Ahwazi refugees - 7 June 2006, Ya Libnan
Amnesty International report on fear of forcible return and torture of Ahwazi refugees - 2 June 2006, Amnesty International
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody - 19 May 2006, BAFS
Syrian human rights activists arrested amid Ahwazi deportation scandal - 17 May 2006, BAFS
Syria's deportation scandal - 16 May 2006, BAFS
Syria arresting Ahwazi Arabs to please Iran - 16 May 2006, Ya Libnan
Labels: activism , Amnesty , Mansouri
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01 June, 2006
Ahwazis face arrest, deportation and execution
Six Ahwazi Arabs have been sentenced to death this week at Section 3 of the Ahwaz Revolutionary Court.
They were convicted of involvement in bomb attacks in the city, although the names of those sentenced have not been confirmed. Reports suggest that three of those facing execution are among the six sons of moderate Ahwaz tribal leader Hajj Salem Bawi who have been the subject of an intense campaign for their release. The Bawi brothers are believed to be among the victims of the government's retribution against the Ahwazi population for unrest that has gripped the province of Khuzestan, the Ahwazi Arab homeland. However, reports from Ahwaz are unclear as the proceedings of the Revolutionary Courts are held in private, with defendents denied access to defence lawyers. In a recent report, Amnesty International has listed 11 men threatened with execution, including Zamal and Imad Bawi, pictured (
click here for report
).
Meanwhile, a number of Ahwazi refugees are being held in custody in Syria while their fate is decided by the Syrian government, an ally of the Iranian regime. Saeed Saki, an Ahwazi refugee registered with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has already been extradited to Iran by Syria and human rights groups have expressed concern over his treatment (
click here for details
).
Syria's extradition of registered Ahwazi refugees contravenes the Geneva Convention on refugees and Ahwazi activists have appealed to the Syrian government to release the refugees. The refugees' UNHCR registration documents state that they should be "protected from forcible return where he/she would face threats to his or her life or freedom." The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has obtained proof of the UNHCR refugee registration for Jamal Obeidi, a 34-year-old student and Chair of Ahwazi Student Union in Syria (click on picture for larger version).
Dutch national Faleh Abdullah al Mansouri (60), who leads the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO), is also being held by Syria. The Iranian regime claims all those arrested in Syria are Salafists, followers of a Sunni Islamist sect. However, the ALO has never propagated any religious views and has a secular nationalist ideology.
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Six Ahwazi Arabs have been sentenced to death this week at Section 3 of the Ahwaz Revolutionary Court.
They were convicted of involvement in bomb attacks in the city, although the names of those sentenced have not been confirmed. Reports suggest that three of those facing execution are among the six sons of moderate Ahwaz tribal leader Hajj Salem Bawi who have been the subject of an intense campaign for their release. The Bawi brothers are believed to be among the victims of the government's retribution against the Ahwazi population for unrest that has gripped the province of Khuzestan, the Ahwazi Arab homeland. However, reports from Ahwaz are unclear as the proceedings of the Revolutionary Courts are held in private, with defendents denied access to defence lawyers. In a recent report, Amnesty International has listed 11 men threatened with execution, including Zamal and Imad Bawi, pictured (
click here for report
).
Meanwhile, a number of Ahwazi refugees are being held in custody in Syria while their fate is decided by the Syrian government, an ally of the Iranian regime. Saeed Saki, an Ahwazi refugee registered with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has already been extradited to Iran by Syria and human rights groups have expressed concern over his treatment (
click here for details
).
Syria's extradition of registered Ahwazi refugees contravenes the Geneva Convention on refugees and Ahwazi activists have appealed to the Syrian government to release the refugees. The refugees' UNHCR registration documents state that they should be "protected from forcible return where he/she would face threats to his or her life or freedom." The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has obtained proof of the UNHCR refugee registration for Jamal Obeidi, a 34-year-old student and Chair of Ahwazi Student Union in Syria (click on picture for larger version).
Dutch national Faleh Abdullah al Mansouri (60), who leads the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO), is also being held by Syria. The Iranian regime claims all those arrested in Syria are Salafists, followers of a Sunni Islamist sect. However, the ALO has never propagated any religious views and has a secular nationalist ideology.
Labels: death penalty , Mansouri , refugees
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19 May, 2006
Syria releases three Ahwazis, but four remain in custody
The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has received reports that the Syrian authorities have released three Ahwazi Arab refugees arrested in the past two weeks, apparently on the instruction of the Iranian government.
Ahmad Abiat, Mousa Sawari and Issa Alyassin were reportedly released. Little is known of the other captives, which include Dutch national Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (60), leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) which was founded in 1990 and supports independence for Arab regions of Iran. According to the Gulf Times, the Dutch government has demanded an explanation from Syria over Al-Mansouri's detention. Al-Mansouri has been a resident of Maastricht in the Netherlands since he fled to the country in 1989.
There is mounting concern for Saeed Saki, an Ahwazi refugee with protection from the UNHCR who was deported by the Syrian government to Iran. Saki is believed to be in Iranian custody and is in danger of torture and execution ( click here for more information ).
Over the past year, international NGOs and UN agencies have documented the persecution of Ahwazi Arabs in Iran. Many Arabs believe that the Syrian government's decision to detain Ahwazis, most of whom are registered as refugees with the UNHCR, indicates that President Bashar Al-Assad is willing to sacrifice solidarity with persecuted Arabs for the sake of his new-found allegiance to Tehran.
The arrests of Ahwazi refugees were followed by the arrests of human rights activists in Syria who called for their release and the release of Syrians who backed the Damascus-Beirut Declaration which calls for Syria to respect Lebanese independence and sovereignty.
BAFS spokesman Nasser Bani Assad said: "The Syrian government's actions have been condemned by many Arab organisations and have generated solidarity behind the Ahwazi cause, particularly among Lebanese and Syrian democrats. Iran is taking increasingly desperate measures to halt the rise in anti-regime politics among Ahwazi Arabs, but its increasingly brutal methods - the imprisonment of the babies of Ahwazi dissidents, summary killings, torture, assassinations and other crimes against humanity - have merely attracted publicity and solidarity. We are getting messages of support from Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, the UAE as well as Europe and North America as a direct result of Al-Assad's actions which were carried out on behalf of the Iranian regime.
"The arrest of eight Ahwazis in Syria has brought more solidarity and publicity than the thousands of Ahwazis arrested in Iran over the past year. The scandal surrounding Saki's deportation to Iran shows Al-Assad up as something of a blundering clown who has sold out Arabs to align with a hardline religious theocracy. Facing with criticism over Syria's alleged involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, Al-Assad is seeking protection from Tehran. Ahwazi refugees are paying a blood price for his desire for Iranian support."
In reporting the arrests of Ahwazis in Syria, the BBC has wrongly portrayed the Ahwazi struggle as a religious conflict between Sunni Arabs and the Shia-led Iranian state. In fact, 80 per cent of Ahwazi Arabs are Shia. The BBC has also claimed that the Ahwazi activists are involved in communal violence, but there is no evidence of attacks by Ahwazi Arabs on members of other ethnic groups in Khuzestan, where most Ahwazi Arabs live. Ahwazi resistance has mainly taken the form of non-violent demonstrations against the regime and its anti-Arab policies, rather than a campaign against Persians or other Iranian nationalities. Despite forced displacement of Arabs for the construction of settlements for non-Arabs brought in from outside the province, there has been little if any communal violence from Ahwazi Arabs against settlers.
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The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has received reports that the Syrian authorities have released three Ahwazi Arab refugees arrested in the past two weeks, apparently on the instruction of the Iranian government.
Ahmad Abiat, Mousa Sawari and Issa Alyassin were reportedly released. Little is known of the other captives, which include Dutch national Faleh Abdullah Al-Mansouri (60), leader of the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) which was founded in 1990 and supports independence for Arab regions of Iran. According to the Gulf Times, the Dutch government has demanded an explanation from Syria over Al-Mansouri's detention. Al-Mansouri has been a resident of Maastricht in the Netherlands since he fled to the country in 1989.
There is mounting concern for Saeed Saki, an Ahwazi refugee with protection from the UNHCR who was deported by the Syrian government to Iran. Saki is believed to be in Iranian custody and is in danger of torture and execution ( click here for more information ).
Over the past year, international NGOs and UN agencies have documented the persecution of Ahwazi Arabs in Iran. Many Arabs believe that the Syrian government's decision to detain Ahwazis, most of whom are registered as refugees with the UNHCR, indicates that President Bashar Al-Assad is willing to sacrifice solidarity with persecuted Arabs for the sake of his new-found allegiance to Tehran.
The arrests of Ahwazi refugees were followed by the arrests of human rights activists in Syria who called for their release and the release of Syrians who backed the Damascus-Beirut Declaration which calls for Syria to respect Lebanese independence and sovereignty.
BAFS spokesman Nasser Bani Assad said: "The Syrian government's actions have been condemned by many Arab organisations and have generated solidarity behind the Ahwazi cause, particularly among Lebanese and Syrian democrats. Iran is taking increasingly desperate measures to halt the rise in anti-regime politics among Ahwazi Arabs, but its increasingly brutal methods - the imprisonment of the babies of Ahwazi dissidents, summary killings, torture, assassinations and other crimes against humanity - have merely attracted publicity and solidarity. We are getting messages of support from Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, the UAE as well as Europe and North America as a direct result of Al-Assad's actions which were carried out on behalf of the Iranian regime.
"The arrest of eight Ahwazis in Syria has brought more solidarity and publicity than the thousands of Ahwazis arrested in Iran over the past year. The scandal surrounding Saki's deportation to Iran shows Al-Assad up as something of a blundering clown who has sold out Arabs to align with a hardline religious theocracy. Facing with criticism over Syria's alleged involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, Al-Assad is seeking protection from Tehran. Ahwazi refugees are paying a blood price for his desire for Iranian support."
In reporting the arrests of Ahwazis in Syria, the BBC has wrongly portrayed the Ahwazi struggle as a religious conflict between Sunni Arabs and the Shia-led Iranian state. In fact, 80 per cent of Ahwazi Arabs are Shia. The BBC has also claimed that the Ahwazi activists are involved in communal violence, but there is no evidence of attacks by Ahwazi Arabs on members of other ethnic groups in Khuzestan, where most Ahwazi Arabs live. Ahwazi resistance has mainly taken the form of non-violent demonstrations against the regime and its anti-Arab policies, rather than a campaign against Persians or other Iranian nationalities. Despite forced displacement of Arabs for the construction of settlements for non-Arabs brought in from outside the province, there has been little if any communal violence from Ahwazi Arabs against settlers.
Labels: Mansouri , refugees
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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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17 May, 2006
Syrian human rights activists arrested amid Ahwazi deportation scandal
The director of the France-based
Arab Commission for Human Rights
(ACHR), Mahmood Marai, and activists from the organisation have been arrested after it published a series of statements in response to Syria's arrest of Ahwazi refugees.
In the past few days, the ACHR, an international NGO with special consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council, has released details regarding the arrest and detention of eight Ahwazis, mostly refugees registered with the UNHCR but also including a Dutch national. Damascus is home to a significant Ahwazi Arab community, which includes many refugees who fled persecution in their native homeland in Khuzestan, Iran. One Ahwazi UN-registered refugee, Saeed Saki, has been deported back to Iran, where he has been detained by the authorities and is in danger of torture and execution ( click here for more details ).
ACHR's campaign led to an appeal by Amnesty International, which said the men were "at risk of torture and of being forcibly returned to Iran, where they would face persecution and possibly the death penalty" ( click here for Amnesty's report ).
Among the human rights activists under arrest are Nidhal Darwish, a key member of Defence Committees for Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms in Syria, and the AHCR's Mahmood Issa and Dr Safwan Taifour. The ACHR has condemned the arrests, along with the detention of Syrian writer Mishel Kilo and Communist leader Fateh Jamoos over their support for Lebanon's independence from Syria. The organisation claims the arrests were an attempt by the Syrian authorities to intimidate Syrian civil society and has called for a demonstration at the UN's Human Rights Commission next month.
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The director of the France-based
Arab Commission for Human Rights
(ACHR), Mahmood Marai, and activists from the organisation have been arrested after it published a series of statements in response to Syria's arrest of Ahwazi refugees.
In the past few days, the ACHR, an international NGO with special consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council, has released details regarding the arrest and detention of eight Ahwazis, mostly refugees registered with the UNHCR but also including a Dutch national. Damascus is home to a significant Ahwazi Arab community, which includes many refugees who fled persecution in their native homeland in Khuzestan, Iran. One Ahwazi UN-registered refugee, Saeed Saki, has been deported back to Iran, where he has been detained by the authorities and is in danger of torture and execution ( click here for more details ).
ACHR's campaign led to an appeal by Amnesty International, which said the men were "at risk of torture and of being forcibly returned to Iran, where they would face persecution and possibly the death penalty" ( click here for Amnesty's report ).
Among the human rights activists under arrest are Nidhal Darwish, a key member of Defence Committees for Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms in Syria, and the AHCR's Mahmood Issa and Dr Safwan Taifour. The ACHR has condemned the arrests, along with the detention of Syrian writer Mishel Kilo and Communist leader Fateh Jamoos over their support for Lebanon's independence from Syria. The organisation claims the arrests were an attempt by the Syrian authorities to intimidate Syrian civil society and has called for a demonstration at the UN's Human Rights Commission next month.
Labels: Mansouri , refugees
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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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16 May, 2006
Lebanese democrats support Ahwazis
The Lebanese Ya Libnan news agency has called on the intervention of the Arab League to support the Ahwazi Arabs and "chastise" Syria for detaining and deporting Ahwazis to Iran.
Eight Ahwazis, mostly refugees and asylum seekers but also including a Dutch national, have been detained by the Syrian authorities over the past week. One is known to have been deported to Iran and his life is in grave danger.
Criticism by Ya Liban comes amid growing awareness in the Arab world of the injustices faced by the Ahwazi Arabs under Iranian rule. The news service was founded to support democracy and independence for Lebanon following the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, which UN investigators believe had Syrian backing. It was supportive of the "Cedar Revolution" which forced Syrian troops to leave Lebanon after 30 years of military occupation.
Ya Libnan criticised the problem of illiteracy among Arabs, who are denied the right to learn their own language. In the article, the writer gave a personal account of a visit to Ahwaz: "I met by accident one prominent Arab Ahwazi and found out later that he is a poet. Unfortunately I discovered later that none of his poetry was ever documented, because he could not write or read Arabic. He was so happy when I was able to write down one of his poems as he recited it. The poem was about Gamal Abd el Nasser and only a true Arab could have ever written such an emotional poem about an Arab leader."
The writer Ali Hussein added: "It is about time for the Arab League to step in and support the Arabs of Iran. Arab League Secretary General should immediately call for a summit to. The question is: Will he?"
Nasser Bani Assad, spokesman for the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS), said: "Many democrats and progressives across the Arab world are beginning to recognise the abuses suffered by the Ahwazis and are supporting their struggle for human rights, self-determination and freedom. Lebanese, Egyptians, Syrians and Iraqis are among the various nationalities who have expressed their support for the Ahwazis in recent weeks.
"The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon has inspired many Ahwazis to take up non-violent resistance against state terrorism and occupation. It shows that people power can work."
Click here for Ya Liban article
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The Lebanese Ya Libnan news agency has called on the intervention of the Arab League to support the Ahwazi Arabs and "chastise" Syria for detaining and deporting Ahwazis to Iran.
Eight Ahwazis, mostly refugees and asylum seekers but also including a Dutch national, have been detained by the Syrian authorities over the past week. One is known to have been deported to Iran and his life is in grave danger.
Criticism by Ya Liban comes amid growing awareness in the Arab world of the injustices faced by the Ahwazi Arabs under Iranian rule. The news service was founded to support democracy and independence for Lebanon following the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, which UN investigators believe had Syrian backing. It was supportive of the "Cedar Revolution" which forced Syrian troops to leave Lebanon after 30 years of military occupation.
Ya Libnan criticised the problem of illiteracy among Arabs, who are denied the right to learn their own language. In the article, the writer gave a personal account of a visit to Ahwaz: "I met by accident one prominent Arab Ahwazi and found out later that he is a poet. Unfortunately I discovered later that none of his poetry was ever documented, because he could not write or read Arabic. He was so happy when I was able to write down one of his poems as he recited it. The poem was about Gamal Abd el Nasser and only a true Arab could have ever written such an emotional poem about an Arab leader."
The writer Ali Hussein added: "It is about time for the Arab League to step in and support the Arabs of Iran. Arab League Secretary General should immediately call for a summit to. The question is: Will he?"
Nasser Bani Assad, spokesman for the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS), said: "Many democrats and progressives across the Arab world are beginning to recognise the abuses suffered by the Ahwazis and are supporting their struggle for human rights, self-determination and freedom. Lebanese, Egyptians, Syrians and Iraqis are among the various nationalities who have expressed their support for the Ahwazis in recent weeks.
"The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon has inspired many Ahwazis to take up non-violent resistance against state terrorism and occupation. It shows that people power can work."
Click here for Ya Liban article
Labels: Mansouri , refugees
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15 May, 2006
Syria's deportation scandal
Syria is undermining the Geneva Refugee Convention and the work of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees by detaining and deporting Ahwazi Arab asylum seekers and refugees to Iran, the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has told officials at the Syrian embassy today.
The deportation of Saeed Saki (pictured), a 40-year-old Ahwazi asylum seeker resident in Damascus, to Iran is not only a breach of his human rights but will almost certainly lead to his death at the hands of the Iranian regime, which is seeking to silence opposition. The arrests and deportation come in the context of growing government aggression against Ahwazi Arabs in Iran's Khuzestan province, which has witnessed growing anti-government unrest.
Seven other Ahwazis have been arrested and detained by the Syrian authorities, including Dutch national, Faleh Abdullah al Mansouri (60), who leads the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) ( click here for more details ).
BAFS has called on the Syrian government to stop deportations and release the men if there are no criminal charges against them. It has reminded the government of its duties and obligations to refugees under international law.
BAFS spokesman Nasser Bani Assad said: "We believe that Mr Saki's life is in danger as a direct result of the Syrian government's actions. Damascus has a large Ahwazi Arab community, including many refugees and opposition groups, that has never posed a challenge to the Syrian government. Indeed, it was not long ago that Syria professed sympathy for the persecuted Ahwazi Arabs of Iran.
"By arresting and detaining Ahwazi refugees, who have abided by Syrian law and have sought sanctuary in Damascus, the Syrian government is participating in the oppression and persecution of Arabs. We do not believe that the Syrian people support these deportations. We think Syria's actions, particularly the deportation of Mr Saki, could further alienate the government both in the Arab world and in the wider international community."
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Syria is undermining the Geneva Refugee Convention and the work of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees by detaining and deporting Ahwazi Arab asylum seekers and refugees to Iran, the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has told officials at the Syrian embassy today.
The deportation of Saeed Saki (pictured), a 40-year-old Ahwazi asylum seeker resident in Damascus, to Iran is not only a breach of his human rights but will almost certainly lead to his death at the hands of the Iranian regime, which is seeking to silence opposition. The arrests and deportation come in the context of growing government aggression against Ahwazi Arabs in Iran's Khuzestan province, which has witnessed growing anti-government unrest.
Seven other Ahwazis have been arrested and detained by the Syrian authorities, including Dutch national, Faleh Abdullah al Mansouri (60), who leads the Ahwaz Liberation Organisation (ALO) ( click here for more details ).
BAFS has called on the Syrian government to stop deportations and release the men if there are no criminal charges against them. It has reminded the government of its duties and obligations to refugees under international law.
BAFS spokesman Nasser Bani Assad said: "We believe that Mr Saki's life is in danger as a direct result of the Syrian government's actions. Damascus has a large Ahwazi Arab community, including many refugees and opposition groups, that has never posed a challenge to the Syrian government. Indeed, it was not long ago that Syria professed sympathy for the persecuted Ahwazi Arabs of Iran.
"By arresting and detaining Ahwazi refugees, who have abided by Syrian law and have sought sanctuary in Damascus, the Syrian government is participating in the oppression and persecution of Arabs. We do not believe that the Syrian people support these deportations. We think Syria's actions, particularly the deportation of Mr Saki, could further alienate the government both in the Arab world and in the wider international community."
Labels: Mansouri , refugees
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More arrests of Ahwazi Arabs in Syria
The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has learned that more Ahwazi Arabs have been arrested in Syria, including the leader of the Al-Ahwaz Liberation Organisation, and at least one Ahwazi political refugee has been deported to Iran.
ALO leader Faleh Abdullah al Mansouri (60) has lived in exile in Maastricht in the Netherlands since 1989 and is believed to have Dutch nationality. He was arrested along with a colleague from his party, Abdulrasoul Ali Mazraeh (51), who is registered with the UNHCR as a refugee and lives with his six children in Damascus.
Asylum seeker Saeed Owdeh Saki has also been arrested and BAFS has received reports that he has been deported to Iran where his life is in danger.
Al-Mansouri, Mazraeh and Saki are among eight Ahwazi men known to have been detained by the Syrian authorities ( click here for information on arrests ).
The ALO was formed in 1990 by a number of Ahwazi Arab organisations campaigning for a separate state of Al-Ahwaz. The ALO's Ahwaz Revolutionary Council (ARC) regards itself as the Ahwazi government in exile with Al-Mansouri as its President, although there are many Ahwazi groups that do not accept the ARC's assumed leadership of the Ahwazi movement.
BAFS and its allied groups, including the Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz, do not recognise Al-Mansouri's leadership, but are concerned for his welfare and the welfare of other Ahwazis currently in Syrian custody. BAFS activists are appealing to the Syrian embassy in London to explain the charges against all those detained in the past week and are calling on the Syrian government to respect the Geneva Refugee Convention and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. If Al-Mansouri has EU citizenship, any attempt to deport him to Iran could have a negative impact on Iran-EU relations.
Saki's deportation could pave the way for further deportations of Ahwazi Arabs from Syria, which has for many years been regarded as a sanctuary for Ahwazis fleeing persecution in Iran. Ahwazi refugees in Middle Eastern countries are facing increased insecurity as Iran seeks to stamp out all opposition to its regime, both inside and outside the country. Iranian agents are known to have assassinated an Ahwazi opposition leader Ra'ad De'ayer Al-Bestan Banitorfi in Iraq's Basra province ( click here for report ). Refugees in Kuwait and the UAE have also received death threats and are now in the process of being relocated. The Iranian government now appears to be expanding its state terror tactics against opposition activists outside Iran.
Many Ahwazi activists in the UK now fear that Iran may try to carry out assassinations in Europe in an attempt to halt the growing Ahwazi Arab uprising in Iran. Some Austrian politicians have accused President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of involvement in the assassination of Iranian Kurdish leader Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou and two of his associates in Vienna in 1989 during peace negotiations with the Iranian government. At the time, Ahmadinejad was an engineer serving with a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards specialising in extra-territorial activities; some organisations claim he gave logistical support to the assassination campaign in Austria. Now he is President, many fear he is seeking to step up violence against exiled dissidents.
Deportations from Syria and the assassination in Iraq, along with reports that Ahwazi Arab refugees are being expelled by the Iranian-influenced Iraqi government, indicates that the Iranian regime is prepared to export the kind of terror tactics it has used against Ahwazi Arabs in their homeland in Khuzestan.
BAFS spokesman Nasser Bani Assad said: "The Syrian authorities need to explain why they are suddenly arresting Ahwazi Arabs who have been resident in Syria for many years and are legally recognised as refugees. Due to Saki's deportation, it appears that the Ahwazis are being detained on the request of the Iranian government rather than any allegation that they have broken Syrian law.
"If the Ahwazis are being charged with any crime committed in Syria, then we request the Syrian authorities to ensure the accused are guaranteed a free, fair and transparent trial that meets international standards. If they are not being held in connection with any alleged crime, then they should be released immediately.
"We would like to remind the Syrian and Iraqi governments that any assassination or kidnap of residents and citizens of other countries is illegal and in our view constitutes an act of terrorism. Syria's deportation of Saki, who has not to our knowledge broken any Syrian law, indicates that the Syrian government is a participant in Iran's terror tactics against Ahwazis.
"If this is all about creating a good impression with the Iranian regime, then Syria is playing a dangerous game. Al-Mansouri's detention could prompt interest in the arrests by EU officials as he is a permanent Dutch resident and possibly and EU citizen. If he is not released, then Syria's involvement with Iran's repression of Ahwazi groups will come under scrutiny by the Dutch government and the European Commission.
"It remains to be seen whether Syria is willing to heighten diplomatic tensions with the EU over the Ahwazi issue at a time when President Bashar al-Assad is facing mounting pressure over the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri."
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The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has learned that more Ahwazi Arabs have been arrested in Syria, including the leader of the Al-Ahwaz Liberation Organisation, and at least one Ahwazi political refugee has been deported to Iran.
ALO leader Faleh Abdullah al Mansouri (60) has lived in exile in Maastricht in the Netherlands since 1989 and is believed to have Dutch nationality. He was arrested along with a colleague from his party, Abdulrasoul Ali Mazraeh (51), who is registered with the UNHCR as a refugee and lives with his six children in Damascus.
Asylum seeker Saeed Owdeh Saki has also been arrested and BAFS has received reports that he has been deported to Iran where his life is in danger.
Al-Mansouri, Mazraeh and Saki are among eight Ahwazi men known to have been detained by the Syrian authorities ( click here for information on arrests ).
The ALO was formed in 1990 by a number of Ahwazi Arab organisations campaigning for a separate state of Al-Ahwaz. The ALO's Ahwaz Revolutionary Council (ARC) regards itself as the Ahwazi government in exile with Al-Mansouri as its President, although there are many Ahwazi groups that do not accept the ARC's assumed leadership of the Ahwazi movement.
BAFS and its allied groups, including the Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz, do not recognise Al-Mansouri's leadership, but are concerned for his welfare and the welfare of other Ahwazis currently in Syrian custody. BAFS activists are appealing to the Syrian embassy in London to explain the charges against all those detained in the past week and are calling on the Syrian government to respect the Geneva Refugee Convention and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. If Al-Mansouri has EU citizenship, any attempt to deport him to Iran could have a negative impact on Iran-EU relations.
Saki's deportation could pave the way for further deportations of Ahwazi Arabs from Syria, which has for many years been regarded as a sanctuary for Ahwazis fleeing persecution in Iran. Ahwazi refugees in Middle Eastern countries are facing increased insecurity as Iran seeks to stamp out all opposition to its regime, both inside and outside the country. Iranian agents are known to have assassinated an Ahwazi opposition leader Ra'ad De'ayer Al-Bestan Banitorfi in Iraq's Basra province ( click here for report ). Refugees in Kuwait and the UAE have also received death threats and are now in the process of being relocated. The Iranian government now appears to be expanding its state terror tactics against opposition activists outside Iran.
Many Ahwazi activists in the UK now fear that Iran may try to carry out assassinations in Europe in an attempt to halt the growing Ahwazi Arab uprising in Iran. Some Austrian politicians have accused President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of involvement in the assassination of Iranian Kurdish leader Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou and two of his associates in Vienna in 1989 during peace negotiations with the Iranian government. At the time, Ahmadinejad was an engineer serving with a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards specialising in extra-territorial activities; some organisations claim he gave logistical support to the assassination campaign in Austria. Now he is President, many fear he is seeking to step up violence against exiled dissidents.
Deportations from Syria and the assassination in Iraq, along with reports that Ahwazi Arab refugees are being expelled by the Iranian-influenced Iraqi government, indicates that the Iranian regime is prepared to export the kind of terror tactics it has used against Ahwazi Arabs in their homeland in Khuzestan.
BAFS spokesman Nasser Bani Assad said: "The Syrian authorities need to explain why they are suddenly arresting Ahwazi Arabs who have been resident in Syria for many years and are legally recognised as refugees. Due to Saki's deportation, it appears that the Ahwazis are being detained on the request of the Iranian government rather than any allegation that they have broken Syrian law.
"If the Ahwazis are being charged with any crime committed in Syria, then we request the Syrian authorities to ensure the accused are guaranteed a free, fair and transparent trial that meets international standards. If they are not being held in connection with any alleged crime, then they should be released immediately.
"We would like to remind the Syrian and Iraqi governments that any assassination or kidnap of residents and citizens of other countries is illegal and in our view constitutes an act of terrorism. Syria's deportation of Saki, who has not to our knowledge broken any Syrian law, indicates that the Syrian government is a participant in Iran's terror tactics against Ahwazis.
"If this is all about creating a good impression with the Iranian regime, then Syria is playing a dangerous game. Al-Mansouri's detention could prompt interest in the arrests by EU officials as he is a permanent Dutch resident and possibly and EU citizen. If he is not released, then Syria's involvement with Iran's repression of Ahwazi groups will come under scrutiny by the Dutch government and the European Commission.
"It remains to be seen whether Syria is willing to heighten diplomatic tensions with the EU over the Ahwazi issue at a time when President Bashar al-Assad is facing mounting pressure over the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri."
Labels: Mansouri , refugees
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13 May, 2006
Ahwazi Arabs arrested in Syria on Iran's request
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information in Syria has revealed that Ahwazis were arrested by Syrian intelligence services on Thursday afternoon, although the charges against them are unknown. have been arrested with unknown reason in Syria on Thursday 11/5/06 afternoon.
The arrested include:
Mousa Sawari - English Literature student at Damascus University, 32 years old, single
Issa Alyassin - English Literature student at Damascus University, 30 years old, married
Gamal Obaidy -Politics student at Damascus University, 34 years old, single, Chair of Ahwazi Student Union in Syria
Ahmad Abiat - father's name: Abdul Jabbar, 20 years old, Student of Arabic literature at Damascus University)
Taher Ali Mazraeh: married, 40 years old, father's name Ali
The men are all registered as refugees with the UNHCR's office in Syria and were waiting to be transferred to the EU or Canada. Of those arrested, only Mazraeh is known to be a member of the Al-Ahwaz Arab Peoples Democratic Popular Front (ADPF), a group which Iran has previously accused of carrying out bomb attacks in Ahwaz. However, the organisation is not affiliated to the groups that have claimed responsibility for attacks and has not advocated armed struggle. Ahwazi activists fear that if the men are deported to Iran, they are likely to be put on trial and executed. Any deportation would constitute a breach of the Geneva Refugee Convention by the Syrian government.
Syria has a large Ahwazi Arab community, which includes many political refugees. However, the new alliance between Syria and Iran has prompted Syrian security services to intimidate opponents of the regime in the Ahwazi community. Ahwazi refugees were arrested in Syria in April last year, but were quickly released without charge ( click here for report ).
Since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president in August, Iran has taken an increasingly aggressive stance towards dissidents in neighbouring countries. In April, Ahwazi opposition politician Ra'ad De'ayer Al-Bestan Banitorfi was kidnapped by Iranian-backed militias in Basra, Iraq, and murdered. Ahwazi dissidents in Kuwait and the UAE have also reported death threats by Iranian agents.
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The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information in Syria has revealed that Ahwazis were arrested by Syrian intelligence services on Thursday afternoon, although the charges against them are unknown. have been arrested with unknown reason in Syria on Thursday 11/5/06 afternoon.
The arrested include:
Mousa Sawari - English Literature student at Damascus University, 32 years old, single
Issa Alyassin - English Literature student at Damascus University, 30 years old, married
Gamal Obaidy -Politics student at Damascus University, 34 years old, single, Chair of Ahwazi Student Union in Syria
Ahmad Abiat - father's name: Abdul Jabbar, 20 years old, Student of Arabic literature at Damascus University)
Taher Ali Mazraeh: married, 40 years old, father's name Ali
The men are all registered as refugees with the UNHCR's office in Syria and were waiting to be transferred to the EU or Canada. Of those arrested, only Mazraeh is known to be a member of the Al-Ahwaz Arab Peoples Democratic Popular Front (ADPF), a group which Iran has previously accused of carrying out bomb attacks in Ahwaz. However, the organisation is not affiliated to the groups that have claimed responsibility for attacks and has not advocated armed struggle. Ahwazi activists fear that if the men are deported to Iran, they are likely to be put on trial and executed. Any deportation would constitute a breach of the Geneva Refugee Convention by the Syrian government.
Syria has a large Ahwazi Arab community, which includes many political refugees. However, the new alliance between Syria and Iran has prompted Syrian security services to intimidate opponents of the regime in the Ahwazi community. Ahwazi refugees were arrested in Syria in April last year, but were quickly released without charge ( click here for report ).
Since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president in August, Iran has taken an increasingly aggressive stance towards dissidents in neighbouring countries. In April, Ahwazi opposition politician Ra'ad De'ayer Al-Bestan Banitorfi was kidnapped by Iranian-backed militias in Basra, Iraq, and murdered. Ahwazi dissidents in Kuwait and the UAE have also reported death threats by Iranian agents.
Labels: Mansouri , refugees
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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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