{"id":2024,"date":"2025-01-29T22:22:37","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T22:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/?p=2024"},"modified":"2025-01-29T22:22:37","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T22:22:37","slug":"irans-campaign-of-terror-against-minorities-surges-across-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/?p=2024","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s Campaign of Terror Against Minorities Surges Across Country"},"content":{"rendered":"
State Commits Mass Violent Crimes as It Moves to Suppress Dissent<\/span><\/h6>\n
Huge Surge in Mass Arrests, Violence, and Enforced Disappearances of Kurd, Baluch, Arab, and Azeri Turk Citizens<\/span><\/h6>\n

January 29, 2025 \u2014The Iranian government has greatly escalated its brutal crackdown on ethnic minority groups in recent weeks, employing unlawful mass raids, violent arrests, and enforced disappearances against hundreds of members of these communities across the country in order to silence peaceful dissent, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said today.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe systematic persecution of Kurds, Arabs, Baluchis, and Azeri Turks has reached alarming levels, as the Islamic Republic escalates its campaign of terror against these communities in order to silence and suppress them,\u201d said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI\u2019s executive director.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe targeting of Iran\u2019s minority communities is a deliberate state strategy to silence dissent, erase cultural identities, and exert control over communities who have long been subjected to the Islamic Republic\u2019s oppressive and discriminatory policies,\u201d Ghaemi said.<\/span><\/p>\n

CHRI calls on the UN and governments worldwide to demand that the Islamic Republic immediately cease its unlawful mass raids, violent arrests, enforced disappearances, and other rights violations against minority communities across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arab Minority Community Face Mass Arrests<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Arab ethnic minority in Khuzestan Province, many of whom belong to Sunni religious communities in a predominantly Shia country and therefore are subjected to both ethnic and religious discrimination and oppression by the state, are one of the communities that have been increasingly targeted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Between December 9, 2024, and January 22, 2025, the Karun Human Rights Organization documented at least 63 Arab arrests, including of civil rights activists, labor organizers, poets, and religious figures. Many were seized without warrants and held in undisclosed locations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reports indicate that entire neighborhoods in Ahvaz, Susangard, and Khorramshahr have been raided by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence units, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the police, with family members left without information about their loved ones\u2019 whereabouts. <\/span>
\n\u201cMass arrests have always occurred when authorities feared increased street protests.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In an interview with CHRI conducted on January 28, 2025, Ahmad Hamidi, Spokesperson for the Karun Human Rights Organization, said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMass arrests of this kind have a history in Khuzestan and Ahvaz. They have always occurred during periods when the authorities feared increased street protests. These actions aim to prevent protests from emerging and spreading.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe individuals arrested in recent weeks come from diverse segments of society and cannot be categorized as belonging to a specific group. Among the detainees are labor and civil activists, writers, poets, cultural figures, and even Sunni Muslims.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, particularly during the Jina uprising [the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests] and earlier during the November 2019 protests, there were many arrests in Khuzestan\u2019s cities. However, every year since 2005, as the anniversary of the Ahvaz uprising approaches (referring to protests in Khuzestan that year that led to a violent state crackdown), security forces have carried out such mass arrests.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Assad\u2019s fall in Syria, the regime felt threatened.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cRegarding the recent arrests, it is crucial to highlight that after Bashar al-Assad\u2019s fall and the Islamic Republic\u2019s successive defeats in the region, the regime felt threatened and preemptively launched mass arrests in areas it predicted could become centers of protest. This pattern has also been observed in other cities. For example, arrests have intensified in Kurdistan, and in Tehran, a 110,000-person security drill was conducted as a show of intimidation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAdditionally, after Assad\u2019s fall, demonstrations in support of the Syrian revolution took place in Ahvaz. \u2026The demonstrations certainly raised alarms for authorities, reinforcing their perception that the potential for widespread unrest in Khuzestan is high.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cProsecutor of Ahvaz: 182 people have been arrested.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOur organization has compiled a list of over 70 detainees, but the number is undoubtedly higher. Unfortunately, obtaining information on all those arrested remains difficult due to various restrictions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAmong the detainees is a 23-year-old woman who owned a small bookstore in Lashgarabad, Ahvaz, and a writer who authored children\u2019s short stories in Arabic. The scope of these arrests is significant, not only in terms of the social backgrounds of those detained but also geographically, as arrests have taken place across multiple cities, including Susangerd, Ahvaz, Khorramshahr, Mahshahr, and Ramshir.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRecently, Amir Khalafian, the prosecutor of Ahvaz, stated that 182 people have been arrested. Some of the individuals who were summoned and interrogated or released from detention on extremely heavy bail have indicated that they were forced to sign a written commitment not to participate in any protests if they were to begin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the charges against some detainees is collaboration, communication, and espionage for one of the Gulf countries. However, the authorities have not specified which country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are witnessing gross violations of detainees\u2019 rights.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hamidi told CHRI that the recent wave of arrests has been marked by serious violations of detainees\u2019 rights, with security forces using aggressive tactics. He explained that many arrests were carried out at night through home raids or at workplaces, with some incidents involving armed forces firing shots to create fear. Hamidi emphasized that many of those detained were from lower-income backgrounds or had participated in previous protests:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRegarding the methods and forms of some arrests, it must be noted that the process of detention, summoning, and trial\u2014as well as all other stages\u2014does not conform to any legal procedures, not even the judicial process outlined in the Islamic Republic\u2019s laws. In most cases, we witness gross violations of detainees\u2019 rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIn many cases, security forces have raided individuals\u2019 homes at night to arrest them. In other instances, they have carried out arrests at individuals\u2019 workplaces. In one case for which images exist, armed forces carried out an arrest by firing multiple shots and creating a climate of fear and intimidation.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThese arrests were carried out by the IRGC Intelligence Organization, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the police force.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn November 2019, many of those arrested came from the lower-income segments of society and smaller cities. Some of the recent detainees were among those who had participated in those protests or had been under the surveillance of security and intelligence forces since then.\u201d<\/span>
\nKurdish Community: A Relentless Assault<\/span><\/p>\n

The Kurdish population has also faced an intensified crackdown since late 2024. Since the start of January 2025, there have been further arrests of Kurdish activists, including women\u2019s rights defenders, former political prisoners, and labor organizers.<\/span><\/p>\n

On January 22, businesses and shopkeepers went on strike across Kurdish cities to protest the death sentences against Kurdish women activists Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi. At least 12 Kurdish civilians and activists were arrested in less than a week, and security forces forcibly shut down many businesses in Sanandaj, Mahabad, and Kermanshah for participating in the strike.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, on January 24, 2025, Amjad Amini, the father of Mahsa Jina Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman killed in police custody in September 2022, revealed that he was charged with \u201cpropaganda against the state\u201d after protesting the death sentence of Kurdish activist Pakhshan Azizi. The Amini family is among the many families of protest victims who face ongoing arrests, intimidation, and judicial harassment from the government.<\/span><\/p>\n

In December alone, 88 Kurdish individuals\u2014constituting 71.5% of all documented arrests that month\u2014were detained by security forces, according to the Hengaw human rights organization. Over the course of 2024, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network recorded 474 Kurdish arrests across Iran, including children, Sunni clerics, and justice-seeking family members of state violence victims.<\/span><\/p>\n

Executions among Kurds have also risen sharply, with 136 Kurdish prisoners executed in 2024. At least ten Kurds were executed for political reasons; however, many were executed for drug-related charges in violation of international law, as outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which requires that capital punishment only be applied in the \u201cmost serious\u201d crimes. Drug offenses do not meet this threshold.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, Kurdish cross-border couriers (kulbars) remain targets of lethal and unlawful state force; at least 212 were injured, and 37 were killed by border guards in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

Violent Arrests and Denied Due Process<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In an interview with CHRI on January 29, 2025, a knowledgeable Kurdish source, who must remain anonymous for security reasons, provided insight into the recent arrests in Kurdistan province, stating that the arrests were carried out by Ministry of Intelligence forces without judicial warrants and often involved violence. The detainees were also deprived of due process and legal representation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u201cMost of the recent arrests in Kurdistan are related to the strikes protesting the execution sentences of Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi. These arrests and summonses have all been carried out by the Ministry of Intelligence forces. The majority of those arrested have been taken to the central detention centers of the Ministry of Intelligence in Urmia or Sanandaj.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSome of these arrests were conducted with violence. In none of the cases did the officers possess a judicial warrant. The detainees have been denied visits with their families and access to legal representation since their arrest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The source added that the recent strikes across Kurdistan cities were widespread, and the security forces\u2019 crackdown on strikers was harsher than ever. Additionally, many businesses were threatened with reprisals if they participated in the strike.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA few days before the strikes began, a representative of the governor and a representative from the Ministry of Intelligence held a meeting with some business owners and market vendors at the Kurdistan Governor\u2019s Office. In that meeting, they warned shopkeepers and traders not to protest or strike against the execution sentences of Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi. It was a threatening meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExactly one day before the strikes, Ministry of Intelligence agents held a meeting with well-known civil and labor activists at a hotel, where they also threatened them, saying they had no right to protest the executions of Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi. During the meeting, they showed videos about political prisoners, attempting to convince the activists that these prisoners had engaged in armed activities and had connections with foreign countries, implying that they should not be supported.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, media outlets close to the Ministry of Intelligence have been broadcasting multiple documentary-style propaganda videos about Varisheh Moradi, Pakhshan Azizi, and Kurdish groups while simultaneously threatening activists and the public against protesting or striking over this issue. None of this is a good sign\u2014it could indicate that the authorities intend to take the harshest measures against these prisoners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent documented arrests of Kurdish individuals in January 2025 include:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

January 20-26, 2025: Eight Kurds, including a juvenile and a woman, were arrested by security agents in Mahabad, Naghadeh, Kamyaran, Marivan, Sanandaj, and Sardasht. The individuals arrested were Parsa Rostami, Parvin Advaei, Naser Ahmadzadeh, Afshin Mostafapour, Farzad Hamidi, Zagros Rasouli, Shirzad Qaleh, and Parsa Rahimi.<\/span><\/p>\n

January 23, 2025: Brothers Nariman and Milad Rendani, Kurdish civil rights activists from Saqqez, were arrested by security agents and taken to an undisclosed location.<\/span>
\nJanuary 22, 2025: Security agents forcibly entered Jalil Mohammadi\u2019s home in Sanandaj and arrested him for participating in the anti-execution strikes in Kurdish cities. Women\u2019s rights activist Soheila Mataei was arrested in Dehgolan, and at least six other arrests were reported in Sanandaj in connection with the same strike.<\/span><\/p>\n

January 21, 2024: Benyamin Rahimpour, a former political prisoner, was arrested in Sanandaj by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence agents. His arrest occurred during a raid on his shop, and he was taken to the Shahramfar security detention center without a warrant.<\/span><\/p>\n

January 20-21, 2024: Six individuals were arrested in Piranshahr and transferred to an undisclosed location. The detainees were Jigar Mojahedi, Keyvan Asaseh, Farhad Pelleh, Rahim Alizadeh, Hassan Hassannezhad, and Mohammad Amin Hassannezhad.<\/span><\/p>\n

January 20, 2024: Parvin Advaei, a Kurdish women\u2019s rights activist and former political prisoner, was arrested in Marivan after being summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence. The charges against her and her current whereabouts remain unknown.<\/span><\/p>\n

January 19, 2024: Kurdish women\u2019s rights activist Aida Amooie was arrested in Sanandaj after receiving several warnings from security officials for her protests against the death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi.<\/span><\/p>\n

January 19-20, 2024: Security agents arrested at least six individuals in Piranshahr, northwest Iran. The detainees included Hiwa Shojaei, Mohammad Sohrabi, Fardin Mahmoudi, Morad Ostavar, Nemat Ahmadnejad, and Anvar Ebrahimi. There is no information about the reasons for their arrests and their whereabouts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Baluch Community Face Mass Raids<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Baluch community in southeastern Iran also continues to endure disproportionate levels of targeted state violence, with mass arrests, abductions, and state violence sweeping through their communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

In early January 2025, at least 38 individuals were detained in a pre-dawn raid in Zahedan. Other targeted arrests followed, with security forces abducting five members of the Roudini family in Sarakhs and transferring them to an undisclosed location on January 23, 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Baluch Activists Campaign reported that at least 400 Baluch, including five women and 30 juveniles, were arrested by Iranian military forces in 2024. Additionally, at least 101 Baluch prisoners were executed in 2024, which reflects the state\u2019s hugely disproportionate application of the death penalty to minority communities. Most were convicted on drug-related charges, which is unlawful under international law standards that limit the use of capital punishment to only the \u201cmost serious\u201d crimes.<\/span><\/p>\n

On January 28, 2025, Iranian security forces in Delgan shot and killed Abul Bamari, a 30-year-old Baluch citizen. According to Haalvsh, forces fired on Bamari\u2019s vehicle without warning, injuring him and a passenger. After pulling him from the car, they executed him at close range with multiple shots. The other passenger was wounded and detained.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sources told Haalvsh: \u201cFom the vehicle, the forces placed him on the ground and shot him multiple times from a distance of two meters, killing him. They took Bamari\u2019s body without providing any explanation for their actions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Azeri Turks Face Arrests on Sham Charges<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Azeri Turk activists have also faced intensified persecution in January. Between January 11 and January 22, twelve Azeri Turk activists in Tabriz were interrogated and faced political charges such as \u201cmembership in an illegal group with the intent to oppose the regime\u201d and \u201cassembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On January 15, 2025, Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals upheld the convictions of nine Azeri Turk activists and attorney Taher Naghavi in a politically motivated case involving baseless national security charges. During the preliminary trial, the notorious Judge Abolghasem Salavati had initially sentenced the individuals to a total of 81 years in prison, along with additional penalties.<\/span>
\nUN Decries Iran\u2019s Violent Persecution of Minority Communities<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, the UN\u2019s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran found that ethnic and religious minorities, including Kurds, Baluchis, Azeri Turks, and Ahwazi Arabs, had the highest and most sustained involvement in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. These communities, which included many children, suffered the greatest number of casualties and endured widespread violence, including killings, maiming, arrests, enforced disappearances, detention, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence throughout the uprising.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe international community must not stay silent as Iran\u2019s ethnic minorities face an ever-growing onslaught of state repression,\u201d Ghaemi said. \u201cThe mass arrests, extrajudicial killings, and systematic suppression of cultural identities demand urgent global attention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

State Commits Mass Violent Crimes as It Moves to Suppress Dissent Huge Surge in Mass Arrests, Violence, and Enforced Disappearances of Kurd, Baluch, Arab, and Azeri Turk Citizens January 29,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-human-rights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2024"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2025,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024\/revisions\/2025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iransos.com\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}