Ahwazi activist Ali Reza Mardasi faces imminent death in Sheyban prison

In a grave escalation of human rights violations in Ahwaz, rights groups have reported a serious deterioration in the health of Ahwazi political prisoner Ali Reza Mardasi, who has been sentenced to death twice by Iran’s Revolutionary Court.

The verdict was issued on Saturday, July 10, 2025, by the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court in Ahwaz, presided over by Judge Adibi Mehr. The charges described as political and fabricatedincluded “corruption on earth,” “membership in groups opposing the regime,” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”

Ali Reza Mardasi, a teacher from the Abouzar neighborhood in the capital city of Ahwaz, is known as a prominent educator and defender of the cultural and civil rights of the Ahwazi people.

According to human rights reports, the investigation process he underwent was marred by severe violations, including physical and psychological pressure and threats against his family to force a confession.

During the same court session, the court also handed down death sentences to Ahwazi political activist Masoud Jameh (Bawi), as well as Farshad Etemadi Far from the provinces of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, based on repeated charges frequently used by authorities to criminalize political activism and peaceful protest.

Human rights organizations have confirmed that these trials lack even the most basic standards of justice and are part of a systematic campaign of repression targeting the Ahwazi community.

This campaign includes arbitrary arrests, unfair trials, and collective punishment and intimidation of families.

These organizations added that what is happening in Ahwaz today is an attempt to dismantle the social fabric and “break the will of peaceful resistance” among the population especially amid growing international indifference to the human rights abuses being carried out by Iranian authorities in the region.