Apr 18, 2008

Ahwazi: London To Hear Of Iranian Injustices


Sample ImageOn 20-21 April 2008 the London Ahwazi community will be protesting against the Iranian persecution of the Ahwazi by holding a demonstration and peaceful protest outside Downing Street.  The event will also be an opportunity to mark of the death of Ahwazi leader Mr. Mansour Silawi Al-Ahwazi.

Below is a statement of solidarity from UNPO which will be read at the event:

The Hague, 20 April 2008 - On behalf of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), the General Secretary Mr. Marino Busdachin expresses the solidarity of all UNPO Members with the people of Al-Ahwaz on this day of commemoration of one of the most prominent and respected Al-Ahwazi figures, Mansour Silawi al-Ahwazi, and reiterates its support for their decades-long nonviolent campaign against Iranian suppression.

UNPO honours the life and work of Mansour Silawi al-Ahwazi, whose energy, charisma, intelligence and generosity contributed immeasurably to the Ahwazi people’s nonviolent struggle against the tyranny and persecution of the government of Iran. A committed democrat and human rights activist, Mansour abhorred racism and violence and made significant personal sacrifices for his people.

UNPO celebrates the optimism and pragmatism of Mansour Silawi al-Ahwazi, who despite the suffering he and his people have endured, always advocated peaceful resistance and democracy and believed that Ahwazi Arabs could win self-determination through devolution within a federal Iran rather than separatism. Mansour’s patience and dedication in place of despair provides a wonderful example for Awhazis and all UNPO members in their nonviolent struggles for self determination.

UNPO condemns the violation of the basic human rights of the Ahwazi people by the government of Iran, such as the right to peaceful demonstrations and the wearing of symbols such as the kuffiyeh and the poverty of the Awhazi people that has resulted from land confiscation.

Furthermore, UNPO condemns the persecution of human rights defenders in Al-Ahwaz, who face constant oppression from the government of Iran, including arrests in which detainees face torture, trial without access to lawyers and ill-treatment.

UNPO protests vehemently the executions of Ahwazi activists by the government of Iran, which have increased significantly over the past two years and urges the international community to recognise the repression and economic marginalisation of the Ahwazi people and to demonstrate its commitment to human rights by responding to the plight of the Ahwazi people with a call to the government of Iran for greater autonomy in Al-Ahwaz.

UNPO calls upon its Members to act in solidarity with their fellow representatives in supporting, publicising, and promoting the plight of the Ahwazi peoples.