The leading human rights organisation listed the names of seven of those arrested and being held in custody. Five of those listed by Amnesty are under the age of 21, including an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old. The other two are imams Saleh 'Abidawi and Sheikh Saleh al-Haidari. Amnesty states that they are among scores of those arrested following demonstrations "demanding an end to the persecution of Arabs, poverty and unemployment among Arabs, and the release of political prisoners arrested following unrest in Khuzestan province which began in April 2005." The group says that those arrested could be at risk of torture and has highlighted reports on Sheikh al-Haidari's hunger strike.

Amnesty says it has received reports of three killings of demonstrators by security forces. The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) has a list of five names of those killed, but the number could be higher.

Source: British Ahwazi Friendship Society