Reports received by the Karoon Human Rights Organization indicate that the Iranian judiciary has sentenced Amir Kabiri (son of Badr), an Ahwazi Arab activist, to five years in prison as part of its ongoing crackdown on religious freedoms.
This sentence was issued under circumstances where Kabiri’s trial lacked transparency and fair trial standards, being solely based on fabricated charges by security agencies due to his religious beliefs. He has been held in detention for four months since his arrest and is currently imprisoned in Ward 8 of Sheiban Prison in Ahwaz.
Background of the Case: Arrest During Prayer
Amir Kabiri, a resident of the Malashieh area in Ahwaz, was previously arrested on the evening of Tuesday, July 6, 2023, during a raid by the Ministry of Intelligence in Hamidiyeh County. According to earlier reports from the Karoon Human Rights Organization, security forces detained Kabiri along with six other Sunni Arab citizens while they were performing the Isha prayer and transferred them to an unknown location. During this mass arrest, another individual named Riyad Zahiri (a resident of Malashieh) was also identified.
Wave of Repression Against Religious Activists in Ahwaz
The arrest of these citizens in July was part of a widespread and coordinated crackdown. On the same day as Amir Kabiri’s arrest, security forces violently detained at least 18 other Sunni Arab citizens in the Kut Abdullah area (specifically in the Khazami region). Reports from the Karoon Organization indicated that the vast majority of those arrested were young people and minors under 18 years old.
The families of these detainees have spent months in complete ignorance of their children’s situation, while security agencies have inflicted psychological torture on the families by failing to respond.
The Karoon Human Rights Organization views the five-year prison sentence for Amir Kabiri as a clear and systematic violation of fundamental human rights, particularly the “right to freedom of religion and belief” as enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This organization strongly condemns this ruling and the previous violent arrests and actions, calling for the immediate annulment of Amir Kabiri’s prison sentence, the unconditional release of all political prisoners, and an end to the repressive policies of the Iranian authorities against religious minorities and Arab citizens in Ahwaz.
