2005 Ahvaz unrest: Difference between revisions
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|place= {{flagicon|Iran}} Iranian province of Khuzestan |
|place= {{flagicon|Iran}} Iranian province of Khuzestan |
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|result= Protests suppressed, [[Ahvaz bombings|Bombing campaign]] began |
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|combatant1=Ahwazi Arab protesters |
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|combatant2={{flagicon|Iran}} Iranian |
|combatant2={{flagicon|Iran}} Iranian military |
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|casualties1=20-51 deaths, hundreds wounded |
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|casualties1= 5 killed <ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/3924598?story_id=E1_PJNQVJR]</ref> |
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|casualties3=Another 28 killed in 2005-2006 [[Ahvaz bombings]] |
|casualties3=Another 28 killed in 2005-2006 [[Ahvaz bombings]], 8 executed.<ref name=amnesty2009/> |
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'''2005 Ahwazi unrest''' or '''April 15 Intifada''' (also the '''Ahwazi Intifada''')<ref name=amnesty>Amnesty International 2006, ''Iran: Defending minority rights – the Ahwazi Arabs''. (AI Index: MDE 13/056/2006), 17 May – Attachment 6).</ref>, were violent protests, which erupted on April 15, 2005, in the majority Arab Iranian province of Khuzestan, and lasted for 4 days. The protests, also described as a popular uprising (Intifada), resulted in what was described by Amnestry International as "Scores of Iranian Arabs were killed, hundreds were injured and hundreds more were detained during and following these demonstrations, during which the security forces appear to have used excessive force in their policing resulting in unlawful killings, including possible extra-judicial executions".<ref name=refugee>''Refugee Review Tribunal'', AUSTRALIA. Research Response Number: IRN35261, Country: Iran. 30 July 2009.</ref> |
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'''2005 Ahwazi unrest''' or '''2005 Khuzestan Riots''' or '''2005 Ahvaz Riots''' or '''April 15 Protest''' were violent protests by [[Iranian Arabs]] in the city of [[Ahvaz]] in southwestern Iranian province of [[Khuzestan]] which erupted on April 15, 2005, and lasted for 4 days until the police intervened killing five and arresting more than 300. |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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{{main|Politics of Khūzestān Province}} |
{{main|Politics of Khūzestān Province}} |
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| ⚫ | Despite the Arab population remaining largely loyal to Iran during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the central government in Tehran has continued to view Arab Iranians with suspicion. Iranian Arabs claim this has led to discriminatory policies and unequal access to resources aimed at social development. Such discrimination has led to economic deprivation and frustration among Iranian Arabs, which has tended to spill over into unrest and subsequent repression, the most recent cycle of which began in April 2005 and has become known among the Ahwazi Arabs as the '''Ahwazi Intifada'''.<ref name=amnesty/> |
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The Arabs of Iran are concentrated in the province of Khuzistan and number between half a million to 2 million<ref><small>(J. Lorentz, 1995, p172)</ref></small>. Most Iranian Arabs are Shi'a, but a small minority of Sunni Muslim Arabs live along the Persian Gulf coastline. In [[Khuzestan]], Arabs are the dominant ethnic group in [[Shadegan]], [[Hoveyzeh]] and [[Susangerd]], a majority in [[Mahshahr]] and [[Khorramshahr]], a minority in [[Abadan]] and together with Persians, Arabs are one of the two main ethnic groups in [[Ahvaz]].<ref>[http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/iran_081205.doc Iran Overview from [[British Home Office]]]</ref> |
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The [[Constitution of Iran]] guarantees freedom of cultural expression and linguistic diversity. Khūzestān Province has [[radio]] and [[television]] stations in Arabic. School education is in [[Persian language|Persian]], the [[official language]], but use of Arabic is allowed under the [[constitution of Iran|constitution of the Islamic Republic]]. Article 15 of the [[Constitution of Iran|constitution]] states: |
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The unrest began on 15 April 2005 in the Shalang Abad (also known as Da’ira) area of central [[Ahwaz]], where around 1,000 demonstrators had reportedly assembled to protest at the contents of a letter, reports of which began to circulate on 9 April, allegedly written in 1999 by an advisor in the office of President Khatami.<ref name=amnesty/> The letter, whose authenticity has been strongly denied by the author and other governmental sources, sets out policies for the reduction of the Arab population of the province of [[Khuzestan]], including their transfer to other regions of Iran; the transfer of non-Arabs, including Persians and Turkic-speaking [[Azeri]]s to the province; and the elimination of Arab place names along with their replacement by Persian names.<ref name=amnesty/> |
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==The violence== |
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{{cquote|The Official Language and script of Iran, the lingua franca of its people, is Persian. Official documents, correspondence, and texts, as well as text-books, must be in this language and script. However, the use of regional and tribal languages in the press and mass media, as well as for teaching of their literature in schools, is allowed in addition to Persian}} |
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Scores of Iranian Arabs were killed, hundreds were injured and hundreds more were detained during and following these demonstrations, during which the security forces appear to have used excessive force in their policing resulting in unlawful killings, including possible extra-judicial executions. It is feared that many of those detained may have been tortured or ill-treated.<ref name=amnesty/> |
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However, some human rights groups have accused the Iranian government of discrimination and other human rights violations against [[Iranian Arabs]] and violating the constitutional guarantees of equality. [[Amnesty International]] says: |
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A forged letter attributed to [[Mohammad-Ali Abtahi]], an adviser to Iran's Reormist President [[Mohammad Khatami]], began circulating on the blogosphere, and was widely circulated by hand and subsequently cited in a report by al-Jazeera network, a popular Arab television station with a big following among Khuzestan's Arab population. <ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/58622d88-b13a-11d9-9bfc-00000e2511c8.html#axzz1O5SwIBaX]</ref> <ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/3924598?story_id=E1_PJNQVJR]</ref> The fake letter proposed measures to reduce the proportion of Arabs in Khuzestan. <ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/58622d88-b13a-11d9-9bfc-00000e2511c8.html#axzz1O5SwIBaX]</ref> The letter inspired crowds of young Arab rioters to attack government buildings and institutions in Ahvaz city. Some Iran experts and analysts at the time speculated that the move was part of a plan by the conservative establishment to discredit the reformist camp among Arabs in the run-up to the 2005 presidential poll. <ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/58622d88-b13a-11d9-9bfc-00000e2511c8.html#axzz1O5SwIBaX]</ref> <ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/3924598?story_id=E1_PJNQVJR]</ref> |
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==Casualties== |
==Casualties== |
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The number of casualties at the event was put at 20 protester deaths by al-Arabiya and 51 by the Amnesty report. The number of dead was put at 62, with 1,000 arrested, according to the ''National Council of Resistance in Iran'' opposition group.<ref>http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/ncri-statements/human-rights/245-clashes-in-iran-protests-in-ahwaz-for-fifth-day-running</ref>, while Ahwazi Arab sources claimed the casualty rate at tripple digit numbers - as high as 160 deaths.<ref name=pdki>http://pdki.org/english/2011/04/19/day-three-of-ahwaz-protests/</ref> |
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[[Amnesty International]] has cited "unconfirmed reports" that 29 people were killed. <ref>http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/pp042505.shtml</ref> However, confirmed news reports and accounts have put the number of fatal casualties at five. <ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/3924598?story_id=E1_PJNQVJR]</ref> |
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==Aftermath== |
==Aftermath== |
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{{main|Ahvaz bombings}} |
{{main|Ahvaz bombings}} |
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{{seealso|2011 Iranian protests}} |
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The Iranian government officials blamed the Khuzestan unrest on [[UK]] which hosts the headquarters of the Iranian Arab militant group "Al-Ahwaz Arab Peoples Democratic Popular Front". The government also temporarily banned broadcasts by the Arabic-language satellite-television station Al-Jazeera accusing it of fanning the unrest. Ali Yunesi, the intelligence minister at the time, said those arrested in Khuzestan were mainly "young, innocent people" who had been provoked by "real criminals". Defense Minister at the time [[Ali Shamkhani]], who is an ethnic Arab, was dispatched by the Reformist Government of Khatami, to the Ahvaz area to look into the reasons behind the unrest. He met with local leaders, and he stressed that ethnic Arabs are an integral part of the country but acknowledged that Khuzestan Province suffers from "underdevelopment" <ref> http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/pp042505.shtml</ref> |
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Following the suppression of April 15 Intifada, sporadic [[Ahvaz bombings|bombings]] were carried out across Western Iran from June 2005 to late 2006, killing 28 and injuring 225 people. The bombings were blaimed on Ahwazi separatists, and Iranian authorities managed to arrest at least 500 of Ahwazi Arabs,<ref name=amnesty/> and eventually 8 were executed.<ref name=amnesty2009>Amnesty International’s Amnesty International Report 2008 – Iran reported. 28 May 2008.</ref> |
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On April 15th, 2011, following the [[Arab Spring]] unrest across Middle East and North Africa, major "Day of Rage" protests broke out in [[Ahwaz]] to commemorate six years of the 2005 Ahwazi unrest. The crackdown by Iranian security forces led to deaths of 15 protesters.<ref name=pdki/> |
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Following the riots, in June 2005, four bombings by Arab separatist militants in Ahvaz and two others in Tehran killed 10 people and injured at least 90. Two other bombings in Ahwaz, one in October 2005 and another in January 2005, killed 12 people. In 2006, Iran executed five Arab separatists convicted of carrying out the bombings in 2005. <ref>[http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2006/12/2008525133419538724.html]</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 19:14, 4 June 2011
| 2005 Ahwazi unrest | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Ahwazi Arab protesters |
 Iranian military | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 20-51 deaths, hundreds wounded | |||||||
| Another 28 killed in 2005-2006 Ahvaz bombings, 8 executed.[1] | |||||||
2005 Ahwazi unrest or April 15 Intifada (also the Ahwazi Intifada)[2], were violent protests, which erupted on April 15, 2005, in the majority Arab Iranian province of Khuzestan, and lasted for 4 days. The protests, also described as a popular uprising (Intifada), resulted in what was described by Amnestry International as "Scores of Iranian Arabs were killed, hundreds were injured and hundreds more were detained during and following these demonstrations, during which the security forces appear to have used excessive force in their policing resulting in unlawful killings, including possible extra-judicial executions".[3]
Background
Despite the Arab population remaining largely loyal to Iran during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the central government in Tehran has continued to view Arab Iranians with suspicion. Iranian Arabs claim this has led to discriminatory policies and unequal access to resources aimed at social development. Such discrimination has led to economic deprivation and frustration among Iranian Arabs, which has tended to spill over into unrest and subsequent repression, the most recent cycle of which began in April 2005 and has become known among the Ahwazi Arabs as the Ahwazi Intifada.[2]
Causes
The unrest began on 15 April 2005 in the Shalang Abad (also known as Da’ira) area of central Ahwaz, where around 1,000 demonstrators had reportedly assembled to protest at the contents of a letter, reports of which began to circulate on 9 April, allegedly written in 1999 by an advisor in the office of President Khatami.[2] The letter, whose authenticity has been strongly denied by the author and other governmental sources, sets out policies for the reduction of the Arab population of the province of Khuzestan, including their transfer to other regions of Iran; the transfer of non-Arabs, including Persians and Turkic-speaking Azeris to the province; and the elimination of Arab place names along with their replacement by Persian names.[2]
The violence
Scores of Iranian Arabs were killed, hundreds were injured and hundreds more were detained during and following these demonstrations, during which the security forces appear to have used excessive force in their policing resulting in unlawful killings, including possible extra-judicial executions. It is feared that many of those detained may have been tortured or ill-treated.[2]
Casualties
The number of casualties at the event was put at 20 protester deaths by al-Arabiya and 51 by the Amnesty report. The number of dead was put at 62, with 1,000 arrested, according to the National Council of Resistance in Iran opposition group.[4], while Ahwazi Arab sources claimed the casualty rate at tripple digit numbers - as high as 160 deaths.[5]
Aftermath
Following the suppression of April 15 Intifada, sporadic bombings were carried out across Western Iran from June 2005 to late 2006, killing 28 and injuring 225 people. The bombings were blaimed on Ahwazi separatists, and Iranian authorities managed to arrest at least 500 of Ahwazi Arabs,[2] and eventually 8 were executed.[1]
On April 15th, 2011, following the Arab Spring unrest across Middle East and North Africa, major "Day of Rage" protests broke out in Ahwaz to commemorate six years of the 2005 Ahwazi unrest. The crackdown by Iranian security forces led to deaths of 15 protesters.[5]
References
- ^ a b Amnesty International’s Amnesty International Report 2008 – Iran reported. 28 May 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f Amnesty International 2006, Iran: Defending minority rights – the Ahwazi Arabs. (AI Index: MDE 13/056/2006), 17 May – Attachment 6).
- ^ Refugee Review Tribunal, AUSTRALIA. Research Response Number: IRN35261, Country: Iran. 30 July 2009.
- ^ http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/ncri-statements/human-rights/245-clashes-in-iran-protests-in-ahwaz-for-fifth-day-running
- ^ a b http://pdki.org/english/2011/04/19/day-three-of-ahwaz-protests/