Mar 20, 2018

Ahwazi Arabs: Iranian Opposition Coalition in Exile Organises Seminar on Regime Transition


On 17 March 2018, UNPO and the Democratic Solidarity Party of al-Ahwaz (DSPA) organised a seminar in London titled 'No democracy without the recognition and acknowledgement of all nationalities in Iran’. This Seminar took place on the anniversary of Ahwazi leader Mansour Silawi al-Ahwazi’s death. Representatives that participated came from the Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran (CNFI), which includes 14 political parties from different ethnicities. Out of this seminar, a resolution was passed stressing the importance of the unification of opposition movements for a peaceful regime transition in Iran.

This article has been published by Al Arabiya

This week, on the anniversary of the passing of Ahwazi leader Mansour Silawi al-Ahwazi, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) together with the Democratic Solidarity Party of al-Ahwaz (DSPA) organised a seminar titled 'No democracy without the recognition and acknowledgement of all nationalities in Iran’.

Representatives and leaders of Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran (CNFI), which comprises of 14 political parties in exile from different ethnicities, gathered and re-stressed the necessity of unification of all the Iranian opposition movements for a non-violent transition from the Islamic regime of Iran.

In this seminar representatives of 3 Baluch political parties, Balochistan National Movement, Baluchistan People's Party, Balochistan United Front along with 3 Kurdish parties, Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) in addition to representative of Party of United Lurestan and Bakhtiari, experts and researchers from Azerbaijan and Ahwaz each shared their views and input with the audience.

In addition to political parties and figure, Executive Director of Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation and the head of Napirasu for the Voice of Ahwazi women each discussed the important role of civil society organisations and women in the success of the struggle of people in Iran for the overthrow of current regime.

The following is the final resolution of the seminar which Al Arabiya was provided with.

1- The Islamic Republic of Iran employs state-terrorism to suppress and deprive our nation of its wealth and sources to keep it in its current abject poverty. For the past 4 decades, this regime utilised political assassination and execution to eliminate hundreds of Ahwazi Arab fighters and through mass murder of innocent people in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen has revealed its hostility and animosity not only against the Iranians but also those who live outside its borders.

2- Since realisation of the rights of our people and and other nationalities is impossible under this regime, hence the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a historical necessity recognised by our party and our allies “The Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran”, and also by all member parties forming “The Council of Iranian Democrats”. Our party and all other our allied coalitions stress the regime change through peaceful means and away from violence and for the establishment of a federal democratic federal system of government in Iran.

3- We hereby declare our full support and active participation in the current and on-going social movements that is a manifestation of the sufferings and distress of large part of Iranian society – this movement is jeopardising the very existence of the Islamic regime of Iran.

4- We believe in total equality of rights among all the nations and peoples living in Iran and adhere to the equality between men and women, freedom of religion and believe and freedom of press.

5- We strongly condemns the presence of Islamic Republic of Iran in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen and demands for an end to the intervention of Iran in the affairs of neighbouring Arab countries and call for a peaceful coexistence with all neighbouring countries and the world.

6- We strongly condemn Iran’s nuclear program and perceives it as threat to the region and the world.

7- We consider diversion of the waters of Karun river to central provinces that flows through Arab region of Iran as an environmental disaster. Additionally, deliberate drying up marshlands in Southwestern Iran that covers larger Ahwazi-Arab areas for the purpose of cheap oil extraction has led to the homelessness of Arab farmers and stock breeders and destruction of large palm plantations. We condemn these policies which are in line with regime’s systematic ethnic cleansing against Arabs of Iran.
 

Photo courtesy of Al Arabiya