Sep 30, 2015

Ahwazi: Secretary General Advocates for Protection of Arab Minority


Photo courtesy of Thomas Hawk @Flickr

The United Nations General Assembly convened for its Seventieth Session. While presenting his report Mr Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General, addressed the treatment and human rights situation of the Ahwazi Arabs in Iran.  The Secretary General has called on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to undertake changes in its human rights practices towards the Ahwazi and grant them their rights and protection. 

 

Below is an article published by Ahwaz Human Rights:

 

Ban Ki-moon the Secretary General of the United Nation, denounced the continuous suppression and persecution of Arab minority by Tehran in his report during the Seventieth session [September 2015] of the UN General Assembly which was held in New York.

Report of the Secretary General embarks upon the continued marginalization and repression of Ahwazi Arab.  Authorities attempts to change the demography of the region, continued arbitrary arrests and killing of peaceful demonstrators.

Paragraph 58 of the report is as follow: "Ethnic minority groups also face restrictions on their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. For example, some 1,000 people were arrested on 17 March 2015 for protesting against the plight of an Arab from Khorramshahr, Younes Asakere, who set himself on fire in response to repeated harassment by the local authorities regarding the license for his produce stand. 29 He died, allegedly after being denied appropriate medical treatment. Most of the protesters were reportedly released after signing a pledge. Moreover, from mid -March to April 2015, nearly 100 Ahwazi Arabs, including activists and several minors, were arrested and detained following peaceful protests organized in the lead-up to the tenth anniversary of the Ahwazi uprising. In commenting on the present report, the authorities, disputing the above allegations, stated that Mr. Asakere had received adequate medical treatment but had died owing to the seriousness of his injuries. They added that the local authorities and non-governmental organizations had provided support to his immediate family after his death. "

In the footnote of page 22 of the report it is declared that: “In April 2005, Ahwazi Arabs took to the streets to protest against the Government’s alleged policy aimed at changing the ethnic composition of Khuzestan Province. The protests, which lasted for two weeks, reportedly turned violent, with several protesters killed. Since then, Ahwazi Arabs commemorate the uprising by staging protests throughout the area."

In paragraph 73 under recommendations, it is stated:" The Secretary-General urges the Government to promote and protect the rights of all persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran and to address any form of discrimination against them. "

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO) is the organization which provided United Nations with comprehensive periodic reports on human rights violation in Ahwaz .Last week AHRO participated in the 30th session of UN Human Rights council in Geneva.

During an interview with Al-Arabiya net, the head of Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO) and the senior advisor to the Democratic Solidarity Party of Alahwaz, Dr.Karim Abdian stated: "the world is ending its indifference toward our just cause and the injustice suffered by our Ahwazi Arab people.  This injustice manifests itself in suppression of an Arab nation that is trying to maintain its identity and restore its usurped rights."

Commenting on UN Secretary –General report concerning the human rights violations against the Ahwazi Arab nation, Dr. Abdian stressed that: "these statements mark the culmination of our continued and intensified contacts with the United Nations and its institutions in order to deliver the voice of the Arab people, and Ahwaz Human Rights Organization played a key and essential role in this respect."

 

Karim Abdian

 

Worth mentioning that Iran protested to the UN resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations; a resolution which needs to be implemented by Ban Ki-moon on the human rights situation in Iran .

Also the UN resolution Number 69/190, which was issued by the General Assembly in New York, requires Secretary General to follow up its implementation, especially in regards to the observations and recommendations made by the United Nations bodies which monitored the breach of the terms of the human rights treaties, as well as government and media reports of official and non-governmental organizations.