Ahwazi human rights activists report that following a violent raid by Iran’s intelligence forces on the Qala-e-Chenan area of Ahwaz on 18 February 2026, dozens of Ahwazi Arab civilians were killed and arrested. More than 100 days after the incident, the fate of the detainees remains unclear, and security agencies have refused to hand over the bodies of those killed.
The operation took place amid a widespread internet shutdown and a heavily militarized and securitized atmosphere across the region.
According to information received by the Karoon Human Rights Organization, at least two individuals were killed during direct fire by security forces: Mahmoud Hosnian (Naseri) and Haider Khayyatipour.
Fourteen individuals were also arrested during the operation, with the identities of nine confirmed by local sources:
- Tariq Hosnian (father of two children, including a one-month-old infant)
- Bahader Zargani (39, married with three children)
- Mansour Naseri (40, married with four children)
- Ahmad Bawi-Fard
- Youssef Hosnian
- Amin Naseri
- Jassim Bawi (known as Milad)
- Mohammad-Ali Bawi
- Hamid Hosnian
The case of these detainees is currently being heard at Branch 2 of the Karun County Public and Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Montazeri. The charges brought against them include “shooting at security forces,” “blowing up oil pipelines,” “possession of improvised explosive devices,” “cooperation with the United States and Israel,” and “disturbing public order.”
In contrast, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence issued a statement in Farvardin 1405 (March–April 2026), presenting a different account of the incident. It claimed that five individuals were killed and ten arrested. The ministry alleged that the detainees were involved in “forming an opposition group,” “bombing civilian infrastructure,” “armed attacks,” and “possession of Starlink equipment, foreign currency, and propaganda materials.”
Human rights activists emphasize that such allegations are frequently used for case-building purposes and to justify the suppression of civil activists, often based on forced confessions obtained under torture.
More than 100 days after the arrests, all detainees remain in the custody of the Intelligence Department. Their families are denied visitation rights, phone contact, and access to independent legal counsel.
In addition to the lack of information regarding their health conditions, reports also indicate that several family members have been summoned, threatened, or arrested by security agencies—measures that appear intended to exert pressure for forced confessions and to compel compliance from others involved.
