Arrest of three Ahwazi intellectuals after the release of the “Zalmenah” music video

Iran’s security forces arrested three prominent Arab Ahwazi cultural figures poet Sajad Gharbawi, director Hussein Jalal, and artist Ali Hamdi on the afternoon of Wednesday, 28 Aban.

These arrests came only four days after the release of the music video “Zalmenah” (“Our Men”), an Arabic artistic production that gained tens of thousands of views in less than a week and spread widely among the Ahwazi community across social media platforms.

Local sources reported that the content of the video which highlighted cultural identity, social cohesion, and civil resistance among the Ahwazis was the direct reason behind the mobilization of Iran’s security apparatus, prompting it to pursue the artists involved in the project.

The “Zalmenah” music video was also removed from the artists’ accounts on various social media platforms, as well as from their YouTube and Telegram channels, just hours after their arrest.

Subsequent reports indicate that two of the most prominent detainees, Hussein Jalal and Ali Hamdi, were not released until after being subjected to severe psychological pressure and forced to record and publish video clips expressing “apology and regret.”