Iran sentences six Arab political prisoners to death: Rights group

Iran has sentenced six Iranian Arab political prisoners to death, and six others have been handed jail sentences ranging from five to 35 years, a human rights group reported on Tuesday.

The six individuals who were sentenced to death are Ali Mojaddam, Moeen Khanfari, Mohammad-Reza Moghadam, Salem Mousawi, Adnan Mousawi, and Habib Drees, the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization (AHRO), which monitors human rights violations in Arab-populated regions in southwest Iran, said.

Fares Amouri, Jasem Alboughobeish, Qasem Moghadam, Eskandar Moghadam, Raad Maniaat and Tofigh Maniaat were given prison sentences ranging from five to 35 years in jail, the group said.

The verdicts were issued on Tuesday by Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court of Ahwaz, the capital of Khuzestan province, according to AHRO.

The charges against the prisoners have not been made clear.

The Iranian judiciary has not commented on the report, which came days after state media reported that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had pardoned “tens of thousands” of prisoners, including many arrested in recent anti-regime protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September.

Rights activists have expressed skepticism over that announcement, pointing out that many prominent figures remain in jail and activists continue to be arrested.

Oil-rich Khuzestan is home to a large Arab population that has long complained of being marginalized and discriminated against in Iran.

Iran experienced months of protests following the death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died on September 16 shortly after her arrest by the morality police for allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress rules for women.

The protests, which quickly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, were met with a violent crackdown from authorities, who view the protests as “riots” that are backed by foreign powers, namely the US and Israel.