AHRO participates in the 30th session of United Nation council meetings on Human Rights

On 21th September 2015 ,Ahwaz Human Rights Organization representatives participated in a side event on the sidelines of UN 30th session on Human Rights in UN headquarters in Geneva . The goal of this conference was discussing the rights of ethnic and religious and none Persian minorities with the participation of Human Rights organizations .The side event “Adding Fuel to Fire or Paving the Way for Peace? Human Rights Post-Iranian Nuclear Deal “, was organized by ;the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), the Southern Azerbaijan Alliance and the Nonviolent Radical Party .

In the wake of the signing of the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and major powers after nearly 12 years of confrontation , The participants addressed the growing skepticism about what Tehran can achieve when it comes to its international obligations towards the ethnic and religious minorities ‘rights.

The conference gathered the representatives of different ethnicities in Iran ,including:Arabs,Kurds,Azeris and Baluch with experts and academics ,to shed more light on the ongoing double standards concerning human rights, in spite of decades of international attention and prioritization of security and geopolitical concerns . They also discussed ways to move forward constructively in order to push the human rights agenda with Iran forward and put an end to the systematic persecution of minorities in the country.

The speakers also added that :the agreement signed will prevent Iran from producing materials to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against it, although a long-awaited accomplishment , but it does not provide stability in Iran and the region in the long run unless followed immediately with the dialogue in other field, most notably in the field of human rights.

The representative of the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO) Mr. Karim Amory, opened his speech in English, under the title: "marginalized people: Ninety years of repression in Ahwaz," in which he discussed human rights tragic situation in Ahwaz province, violations and crimes committed by the Iranian regime against Ahwazi Arab people .

On Ahwazis position on the matter Mr.Amory stated :” the goal of Iran's nuclear program is the quest of system for foreign domination and suppression of their people at home. Based on historic policies and behaviors and our understanding of Tehran’s nature ,we believe that the regime will use all resources acquired as a result of the lifting of sanctions to wage proxy wars and exporting terrorism to the region. It seems that the cooperation with the international community is only to mislead and it is nothing bur tactical maneuver.”

He added: "We also believe that a large part of the frozen funds that will be freed after the sanctions are lifted, would be transferred directly to Khamenei accounts and leaders of the Revolutionary Guards. The money will be used to develop military capacity for the fifth column of the system and terrorist allies and will not be used for the benefit of the peoples of Iran resulting in increased instability in the region."

He also said: "We the Ahwazi Arabs feel very disappointed as the resolution of the nuclear deal ignores the human rights situation in Iran entirely. We do not expect the deal to improve the lives of millions of minorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran in any way possible.”

He pointed to the uprising of Ahwazis by saying: in April 2005 an uprising happened by the Ahwazi Arabs in the region after a leaked document from the Presidential Office revealed instructions directed to the ministries to implement the process of change in the demography of the region against the Arab indigenous population who would be replaced by immigrants from other Iranian areas . And so the ultimate goal is to convert the Arabs of Ahwaz majority into a minority in their own land . Arab citizens have launched a mass uprising against the confiscation of their lands and displacement and resettlement policy and demographic change they experience daily .The protestors are faced With excessive repression by the security forces and police and special forces of the Revolutionary Guard and dozens of activists have been arrested and executed on frail charges ".

the international community and human rights organizations and other relevant committee on indigenous affairs at the United Nations had pleaded to put an end to these government policies that lead to slow and systematic racial cleansing against Arabs through displacement and building settlements and looting of land in Ahwaz province ".

AHRO delegation participated in the 30th session of the Human Rights council held in Palais des Nation in Geneva between September 15 and October 2. The delegation met with The United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the rights of indigenous peoples Mrs.Victoria Tauli –Corpuz ,where Miss.Mona Silawi the representative of AHRO handed her a set of reports and pamphlets on human rights violations against native Ahwazi Arabs.

Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO)

26 Sep 2015