Ahwazi-Arab Human Rights Activist Dies in Iraqi Prison, 2 others remain in Jail

To: Mr. António Guterres,

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Case Postale 2500,

CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt    Switzerland.

Dear Mr. High Commissioner,

In December 2007, three prominent indigenous Ahwazi Arabs (Iranian Arabs) fled from Iran to Iraq to avoid arrest and imprisonment by the Iranian security forces in Khuzestan province (known locally as al-Ahwaz or Arabistan) province.  These men, prominent human rights activists and members of the persecuted Ahwazi community, have been held in Amareh Detention Centre in the Maysan province in southern Iraq since their arrest on charges of illegal immigration.  Their names are as follows:

1.      Fares Silawi, 36 years old, married with eight children, teacher

2.      Shahid Shabani-Nejad (Amoori), 37 years old, married with three children, writer and poet

3.      Momadali Amoori-Nejad (Shahid al-Amoori), 30 years old, single, high school teacher in Ahwaz, engineering graduate from Isfahan University

These men have been sought by Iranian agents for allegedly organizing protests during the Ahwazi Intifada (uprising) of April 15, 2005, when more than 5,000 Ahwazis were detained, at least 131 were executed and over 150 “disappeared” (believed to have been tortured and killed by Iranian security forces). The protests were against the government’s persecution of indigenous Arabs, including the confiscation of their land, forced displacement, ethnic cleansing and ethnic “restructuring”.  Khuzestan/Arabistan is the homeland of some five million Ahwazi Arabs and although it is one of the world’s most oil-rich regions, producing 90 per cent of Iran’s oil, the indigenous population endures extreme levels of poverty, unemployment and illiteracy.

Mr. Fares Silawi died last week while in detention. The cause of his death is unknown, and the Iraqi government has not provided any information regarding his death. Mr. Shabani-Najad and Mr. Amoori-Nejad are still in Amareh prison and are continually being harassed, intimidated and beaten by Iranian and Iranian-supported Iraqi Shi'te militia and other Iran proxy groups. These militia groups are making every effort to legally and/or illegally hand these two men over to Iranian security forces in Iran, where they will face imprisonment, torture and possible death sentences.^[1]  At least 21 other Ahwazi political and human rights activists have been publicly executed in Iran over the past 18 months on charges similar to those made against these three men.^[2]

      We therefore appeal to the Office of the UNHCR to:

1.      Urge the Iraqi government to take immediate action to prevent the extradition of the two remaining Ahwazis in Amareh prison.  As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Iraq has an obligation not to return anyone to a country where he would be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. 

2.      Request the Iraqi government to disclose the cause of the death of Mr. Fares Silawi in prison.

3.      Visit Mr. Shabani-Najad and Mr. Amoori-Nejad in prison, determine their status as refugees as defined by the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, honor the rights and obligations contained within, and seek a durable solution to their situation, including resettlement to a safe third country.

4.      Extend UNHCR’s services and protection to all Ahwazi refugees in Iraq, and ensure fair and responsible access for Ahwazi refugees in countries of asylum throughout the region. 

       Sincerely,

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization

CC: Mr. Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq
       Mr. Nuri Kamil al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq
       Mr Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs

                   Mr. Wajdan Mikhail, Minister of Human Rights
                   Ms. Walpurga Englbrech, Senior Protection Officer-UNHCR –Jordan
                   

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization
AHRO- UK -AHRO-USA -