URGENT ACTION
HARANA, the Iranian Human Rights Organisation, and the reliable sources inside Qasem Island (Qeshm Island) in East Ahwaz confirmed to the Ahwazi Defence for Human Rights that the Iranian security guards killed 5 Ahwazi and over 10 people were seriously injured on Saturday 12th July 2014. The families of victims confirmed that women and children were among the wounded.
According to the sources, the Iranian security guards attacked Koweh village inside Qeshm Island and begun to shoot people in charge of fuel smuggling. Therefore, at least 5 people were killed and over 10 were injured, the security guard arrested several residents of the village and sent them to unknown place that belong to the Iranian security guard in the Island.
The Ahwazi Defence for Human Rights organisation strongly condemned the death of 5 Ahwazi from Qeshm Island by the Iranian security guard and also condemned the Iranian ill-treatment against Ahwazi Arabs, particularly the Arab people from Qeshm Island. The Ahwazi Defence for Human Rights Organisation has also asked the international human rights organisation to put Iran under pressure to free people who were arrested by the security guard in the Island, return back the bodies of the dead to their families, punish the killers who ordered to shoot people in the Island, and stop the blocking people to access any job opportunities in their native land.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Qeshm Island is the largest Island in the Arabian Gulf and is located a few kilometres south coast and opposite the port city of Jamberoon (Bandar Abbas). The island has over 1,491 km2 area, 135 km length and 40 km width, and has a population around 113,846 (2010). However, in the recent years the Iranian authorities begun to change the demographic of the Island by bringing massive number of settlers from different part of Iran to the Island.
The main job of the people in the Island is fishing, agriculture, and trade from the Arabian Gulf countries like UAE. However, the Iranian authorities recently prevented Arabs from trading or fishing unless the authorities give the permission, which the native residents rarely receive. Therefore, majority of Arabs in the Island lost their jobs, and poverty increased between families. Hence, due to the poverty the majority of people work on smuggling fuel to survive in their lives.
