October 15, 2007 No. 07119
asc@ahwazstudies.org Fax
703.266.0330 www.ahwazstudies.org
. Urgent Appeal
Halt the
Imminent Execution of 6 more Ahwazi-Arabs
To: Ms. Louise Arbour , United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
UNOG-OHCHR, 1211
We are writing to inform you of the imminent execution of six more
ethnic Arab-Iranians (Ahwazi-Arabs) in Ahwaz, provincial capital of Khuzestan
in southwestern
The six men currently awaiting
execution were moved to a cell in Karoon prison in
1.
Rasoul Ali Mazrea (56), a UNHCR-registered refugee, married with 6 children
2.
Ahmad Marmazi, (35), resident of Ma’shur, father of 2 children (Son-in-law
of Rasoul Mazrea)
3. Hamzah Sawari, 20 years old (his 2 brothers were executed last year )
4. Zamel Bawi (He is in jail with his 3 other brothers)
5. Abdulemam Zaeri, 17 years old, student
6. Nazem Boryhi,
Mr. Rasoul Mazrea, along with 4 other Ahwazis, was
deported on May 2006 by the Syrian government to
The charges against them include hoisting
the Ahwazi flag, naming their children Sunni names, converting from Shi'ism to
Sunnism, preaching Wahabbism and being “Mohareb” or
enemies of god, which carries death sentence. Other charges are “destabilizing
the country”, “attempting to overthrow the government”, “possession of
improvised explosives”, “sabotage of oil installations” “Stooges of the West,
U.S., Israel, UK” and being a “threat to national security.”
Last year, Mr. Emadeldin Baghi, a leading Iranian human rights activist, in a letter to the chief of the judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi
Shahroudi, argued that the trials of Ahwazi Arabs were flawed, the charges
baseless, and that the sentencing was based on a spurious interpretation of law
and that no evidence has been presented.[3] Mr. Nkbakht, a prominent defense lawyer in
This new wave of execution is
the latest in a series of barbaric hangings, designed to intimidate and
terrorize the indigenous Ahwazi-Arab population into submission.
On 10 January 2007, independent experts appointed by
the United Nations Human Rights Council, Mr. Philip Alston, the Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Mr. Leandro
Despouy, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and
Mr. Manfred Nowak, the Special Rapporteur on torture, issued a joint statement
urging the Iranian Government to "stop the imminent execution of seven men
belonging to the Ahwazi Arab minority and grant them a fair and public hearing.”[9]
Despite that plea, on 14 February, 2007 Ghasem Salami, 41, married with 6 children,
Majad Albughbish, 30, single, were executed in Ahwaz by public hanging and a day later Mr. Risan Sawari, a 32
years old Ahwazi-Arab teacher was killed under torture in Karoon prison.
This is in addition to four executions on 24 January 2007 (Mohammad
Chaabpour, Abdolamir Farjolah Chaab, Alireza Asakereh and Khalaf
Khanafereh) and three on 19 December 2006 (Malek Banitamim, Abdullah
Solaimani and Ali Matorizadeh). This brings
the number of executions of Ahwazi Arab political and human rights activists in
the past 9 months to at least 13.
The executions are
in the context of a brutal clamp-down on Ahwazi Arabs protesting against ethnic
discrimination and persecution. Although the Ahwazi Arab homeland in
We appeal to you
to condemn the latest wave of execution and call upon Iranian authorities to halt the imminent
execution of the others. We also appeal to you to call upon
For further information, please see a dossier of other human rights
violations against indigenous and ethnic Ahwazi-Arabs in
Sincerely,
Karim Abdian, PhD
Executive Director
Ahwaz Human Rights Organization