The representative of Ahwaz human rights minority Mr.Jaber Ahmad's speech in the 8th session of UN forum on minority issues on 24 Nov 2015.

Thank you Mr.Chair,

My name is Jaber Ahmad I speak here as an activist in Ahwaz human right organization and as director of Ahwaz studies center.My colleagues and I have been working for many years regarding the oppressed minorities in Iran

the situation of oppression in Iran base on non independent judiciary and being under control security services . This had led to unjust sentences handed down against minorities such as Arabs, Kurds, Turks and Baluch .

they were charged with false accusations such as threat to national sovereignty and being against God and his prophet , all of these accusations aim at eliminating the political movement asking for basic human right for the Iranian minorities, I wish to refer to the fact that we can't have justice toward minorities without giving them the right to speak their mother tongue before the police and in courts because the only official language is Farsi and it is obligatory for all citizens . Providing guarantees such as use of mother tongue before the judge and the police and providing an interpreter are basic condition to achieve the equality . I was among the delegation that went to Tehran to negotiate after the revolution of 1979 to ask for autonomy for the area. One of our requests for the Khomeini was the Arabic courts for solving people problems and I would like to refer to the fact that police and the guards using excessive violence against any peaceful demonstration calling for civil rights for minorities is Iran. Considering the importance of this forum for the oppressed people I would like to mention this recommendations:

Pressure on the Iranian authorities to work on independence of the judiciary from security services and make fair trials for activists of minorities and drop the false charges from their families such as threat to national security and stop all death sentences

Stop the systematic ethnic cleansing against the Arab of Ahwaz

Reminding the Iranian regime to fulfill its international obligations and commitments and urge them to implement the Iranian Constitution, especially those related to the rights of minorities is Iran

Prevent the excessive use of police violence against peaceful demonstrations of Ahwazi Arab citizens.

watch the speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KbzWd9mbSA