Systematic Violations Against Ahwazi Cultural Activists in Sheiban Prison

Human rights sources have revealed a systematic pattern of severe violations committed by the Iranian occupation authorities against Ahwazi cultural activists in Sheiban Prison, located in the occupied city of Ahwaz. These practices include arbitrary arrests, systematic torture, and unfair trials.

According to reports from “Human Rights Watch,” 237 cases of arbitrary arrest were recorded in Ahwaz during 2024 alone, with 68% of them targeting intellectuals and cultural activists.

In recent weeks, Iranian occupation authorities have arrested more than 100 Ahwazi citizens, including approximately 40 intellectuals and civil activists.

Among the detained intellectuals is cultural activist Ahlam Bandar, the director of the “Laris” Library in Ahwaz; Hashem Mousavi, a political and cultural activist and former political prisoner; and Milad Bahri, a photographer.

Also arrested was Saeed Ismail Mazraa, a writer and researcher in Arabic literature from Ahwaz, who has authored five children’s books and is the editor-in-chief of the Arabic section of the “Nawabet” social sciences magazine. He was arrested on January 6, 2025.

Poet and civil activist Mustafa Mustafa Al-Hulaishi, from Ahwaz, and presenter of the “Mansat Al-Watan” channel, was arrested on November 30, 2024. After enduring a month of severe torture, he was transferred to Sheiban Prison and charged with “collaborating with foreign political activists.”

Poet Reza Al-Hazbawi from Ahwaz was arrested on December 9, 2024, and transferred to Sheiban Prison after a month of severe torture.

The Iranian occupation authorities have also denied access to medical care and medication for political prisoner and member of the Cultural Dialogue Institute, Ahwazi poet and blogger Mohammad Ali Amouri, who is 46 years old and detained in Sheiban Prison. This is a blatant violation of international laws and human rights conventions.

The wave of arrests in Ahwaz by the Iranian occupation authorities intensifies as the Ahwazi people approach the anniversary of the occupation of Ahwaz in April 1925, marking the centennial of the state’s and people’s occupation by Tehran.

The Iranian occupation authorities rely on a judiciary lacking independence, using vague legal provisions such as “waging war against God” and “undermining national security” to criminalize the cultural activities of the Ahwazi Arab people.

Legal analyses indicate that 92% of the verdicts against Ahwazi activists are based on Article 498 of the Penal Code, which allows for the death penalty on charges of “belonging to opposition groups.”

Leaks from the “Karun Organization” have revealed the presence of torture chambers equipped with electric devices inside Sheiban Prison, with an advanced surveillance system directly linked to the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran.

Sheiban Prison in Ahwaz is one of the largest and most notorious detention centers, housing 450 political prisoners within an area of only 900 square meters. Three levels of violations have been documented, including electric shocks to sensitive body parts and the denial of medical treatment for ill prisoners.

The Iranian occupation authorities also employ psychological warfare against Ahwazi prisoners, including threats to abduct relatives, broadcasting random noises through loudspeakers, and depriving prisoners of continuous sleep for days.