Bushehr: IRGC Militias Strengthen Security Grip as Ahwaz occupation anniversary is marked

Human rights sources have revealed changes in the leadership of the protest suppression unit in the city of Bushehr, south of Ahwaz. Colonel Mehrdad Jamshidi Nejad of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) militias has been appointed as the new commander of the unit.

Jamshidi Nejad is a well-known figure in the repression of protests in the region. He played a key role in suppressing demonstrations in Bushehr at the end of 2022, which erupted following the killing of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini by Iran’s “morality police” in Tehran.

This leadership change follows the tenure of Colonel Nazar Nozari of the IRGC, who previously led the protest suppression unit in Bushehr. Nozari played a significant role in cracking down on protesters in Bushehr and its surrounding cities during the demonstrations of January 2017 and November 2019.

The current leadership of the Bushehr special unit, in addition to Jamshidi Nejad, includes Deputy Commander Colonel Mehrdad Soleimani of the IRGC and Deputy Coordinator Major Yasser Mohammadi of the IRGC.

Deployment of the Unit in Other Protests

This unit was used to suppress widespread protests by workers in the city of Asaluyeh during the Mahsa Amini demonstrations, as well as to crack down on protests in Fars province in November 2019.

The revelation of these leadership changes comes amid rising tensions in Ahwaz as the Ahwazi people commemorate the anniversary of the 1925 occupation of Ahwaz by the Shah’s regime. The region has witnessed repeated protests against the marginalization and discrimination imposed by the Iranian regime on the Ahwazi people.

These changes in the leadership of the protest suppression unit have raised concerns over the potential use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators, as seen in previous protests.

Several human rights organizations have called for an independent investigation into the violations committed by Iranian security forces during past demonstrations and for those responsible to be held accountable.