According to reports received by the Karun Human Rights Organization, three well-known Ahwazi Arab cultural figures — Sajjad Gharbavi (poet), Hossein Jalal (director), and Ali Hamedi (artist) — were arrested by Islamic Republic security forces on the afternoon of Wednesday, 28 Aban (18 November 2025).

These arrests occurred four days after the release of the music video “Zelmneh” (“Our Men”), a song in Arabic that garnered tens of thousands of views across social media in less than a week and received wide attention among Ahwazi Arab audiences.

Local sources report that the content of the video, which emphasizes cultural identity, social cohesion, and civil resistance among Ahwazi Arab citizens, was the main reason for the sensitivity and intervention by security forces.

The “Zelmneh” video was removed from the artists’ social media accounts, as well as their YouTube and Telegram channels, just hours after the arrests.