Iranian forces arrest dozens of Ahwazi cultural activists and artists in several cities

Iranian forces have summoned and arrested dozens of Ahwazi cultural activists, poets, and artists in several cities, including Kut Abdullah, Fallahiyeh, Khafajiyeh, and Mohammara, in a new wave of repression.

This campaign came after a number of Ahwazi cultural and artistic figures expressed their solidarity on social media with the families of six young Ahwazis executed at the beginning of September.

The Iranian forces accused those detained of “spreading provocative content” and “propaganda against the regime” through phone calls, and summoned them to security centers charges that Iranian authorities routinely use to suppress the Ahwazi people.

Eight activists were released after several hours of interrogation, but were warned to stop or limit their activities on social media.

Among the detainees is Abbas Daghaleh, an Arab rapper known by his stage name “Rashash,” whose whereabouts and condition remain unknown. Field sources also reported the arrest of filmmaker and cultural activist Fares Karamallah Kaab in the city of Toster.

Reports indicate that security forces confiscated recording and video equipment, mobile phones, and other personal belongings during the arrests.