Unconfirmed: 20 dead, hundreds hurt after protest in Iranian city of Ahwaz
{{date|April 17, 2005}}
[[Image:Ahvaz location in Iraq.png|thumb|right|180px|Ahwaz location in Iran.<br>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text of the GNU Free Documentation License#APPLICABILITY AND DEFINITIONS GNU map] ]]
Over 20 [[w:Ahwaz|Ahwazi]] [[w:Arab|Arab]] protesters in are dead, 500 injured and 250 arrested, in the wake of protests in the border province of [[w:Khuzestan|Khuzestan]] in [[w:Iran|Iran]] this weekend, says the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS). The protest erupted after publication of an alleged 1999 letter containing plans for a programme of ethnic "restructuring", purported to be a leak from the office of [[w:Mohammad Khatami|Iranian President Khatami]].

Other reports indicate some dead, but serious discrepancies exist in reports available at time of writing.

A recent Iranian state press agency report on the protest [http://www.irna.ir/irnewtest/en/news/view/menu-235/0504161188192844.htm] confirms only that three people were injured, and describes state officials "scrambling" to denounce the letter as forged. "Several state buildings, including banks and police cars were damaged," according to the [[w:Islamic Republic News Agency|''Islamic Republic News Agency'' (IRNA)]] report.

Various other reports as assembled by ''Gulf Times Newspaper'': [http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=33583&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17]:
* local police gave figures as 137 arrested and eight injured
* [[w:Iranian Students' News Agency|''Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA)'']] reported one shot, but not by police
* [[w:Al Jazeera|''Al Jazeera'']] said three Arabs were killed, with many injured and up to 250 arrested, with banks and police stations set ablaze.

The alleged letter is republished with an English translation [http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/images/ahwaz-khuzestan.pdf] on the BAFS web site. Described is a programme of resettlement and "obliteration of proof of the existence of an Arabic population", which was to include "changing of remaining (Arabic) names of cities, villages, regions and streets to [[w:Farsi|Farsi]] (Persian language) names" &mdash; the operations to be carried out secretly, and by Arabic-speaking agents.

''Gulf Times'' characterises, the South-Western Iran province as "Arab majority, oil rich".

BAFS says in a Saturday press release [http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/2005/04/irans-bloody-friday-massacre-in-city.html] accompanying their copy of the letter, that State Security Forces (SSF) had arrived and begun shooting at unarmed demonstrators; power, telephone and water had been cut off from the city's Arab districts of Ahvaz; the SSF had besieged the districts, and prevented people from entering or leaving.

''IRNA'' reports a local official at the Khuzestan governor's office, Qodratollah Dehqan, said the area was calm now and the police had the situation under control. Officials were investigating to see whether "the hands of foreign agents and enemies of the revolution are at work".

Also, that Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said the Intelligence Ministry and the Supreme National Security Council had been ordered by President Khatami to identify who was behind the unrest.

Allegedly signed by former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi, the BAFS version of the letter stipulates a time-frame of 10 years to accomplish the ethnic restructuring programme, resulting in diluting of the Ahwazi Arab population to one third of the province's total population. Other ethnic groups were to be resettled to the province in order to accomplish this, particularly Azeri (Turks).

Abtahi is quoted by both ''IRNA'' and BAFS, from a website attributed to him: "I have never had the prerogative to order a change of demographic composition."

BAFS says in its press release that even so, a former member of Khatami's staff now living in exile had verified the authenticity of a copy the group received three weeks ago.

Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said in the ''IRNA'' news article, "Following special investigations which were carried out by the presidential office, it became clear that there exists no letter with such a content.

"Furthermore, the content of the letter indicates that it does not comply with any political principles of the Islamic Republic and it is merely aimed at inciting Iranian ethnic groups."

Governor of Khuzestan province, Fathollah Moin, was reported in ''IRNA'': "The aim of the distributors of this forged letter is to disrupt existing solidarity among the people of the province through creating disunity and division and instigating public opinion."

''Gulf Times'' also reports ''Al Jazeera'' as saying the London-based Popular Democratic Front of Ahvazi Arabs in Iran had called for peaceful demonstrations in the area "to mark 80 years of Iranian occupation".

==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5810343A-3ADB-4F0E-9BB1-272C450F74B9.htm
|title=Ex-Iran official denies provoking riot
|pub=al-Jazeera.net
|author=
|date=April 17, 2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/2005/04/irans-bloody-friday-massacre-in-city.html
|title=Iran's "Bloody Friday" massacre in city of Ahwaz
|pub=British Ahwazi friendship society
|author=British Ahwazi friendship society
|date=April 16, 2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/images/ahwaz-khuzestan.pdf
|title=Letter from Vice-President Sayed Mohammad-Ali Abtahi to government departments on the procedure to change the ethnic composition of Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz) and eradicate Arab language and culture in the province.
|pub=British Ahwazi friendship society
|author=Vice-President Sayed Mohammad-Ali Abtahi / British Ahwazi friendship society
|date=original letter (Arabic dating): 5/316/20675 (western year: 1999)}}

*{{source|url=http://www.irna.ir/irnewtest/en/news/view/menu-235/0504161188192844.htm
|title=Fake letter stirs up clashes in southern Iran (Adds further quotes)
|pub=Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
|author=Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
|date=April 17, 2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://www.irna.ir/irnewtest/en/news/view/menu-235/0504161081182509.htm
|title=Fake letter stirs up clashes in southern Iran
|pub=Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
|author=Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
|date=April 17, 2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=33583&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17
|title=Iran Arabs riot as ethnic row flares
|pub=Gulf Times Newspaper
|author=Gulf Times Newspaper
|date=April 17, 2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=31011&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs
|title=‘Cause of clashes in Ahvaz, forged letter’
|pub=IranMania.com
|author=IranMania.com
|date=April 17, 2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/17/content_2839567.htm
|title=Iran calms down riots triggered by forged letter
|pub=XinHua
|author=Zhang Shengping, Chen Wendi
|date=April 16, 2005 }}

{{publish}}

{{archive}}
[[Category:Iran]]
[[Category:Middle East]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
Ahwaz location in Iran. of the GNU Free Documentation License#APPLICABILITY AND DEFINITIONS GNU map 
Over 20 Ahwazi Arab protesters in are dead, 500 injured and 250 arrested, in the wake of protests in the border province of Khuzestan in Iran this weekend, says the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS). The protest erupted after publication of an alleged 1999 letter containing plans for a programme of ethnic "restructuring", purported to be a leak from the office of Iranian President Khatami.

Other reports indicate some dead, but serious discrepancies exist in reports available at time of writing.

A recent Iranian state press agency report on the protest  confirms only that three people were injured, and describes state officials "scrambling" to denounce the letter as forged. "Several state buildings, including banks and police cars were damaged," according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) report.

Various other reports as assembled by Gulf Times Newspaper: :
* local police gave figures as 137 arrested and eight injured
* Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported one shot, but not by police
* Al Jazeera said three Arabs were killed, with many injured and up to 250 arrested, with banks and police stations set ablaze.

The alleged letter is republished with an English translation  on the BAFS web site. Described is a programme of resettlement and "obliteration of proof of the existence of an Arabic population", which was to include "changing of remaining (Arabic) names of cities, villages, regions and streets to Farsi (Persian language) names" — the operations to be carried out secretly, and by Arabic-speaking agents.

Gulf Times characterises, the South-Western Iran province as "Arab majority, oil rich".

BAFS says in a Saturday press release  accompanying their copy of the letter, that State Security Forces (SSF) had arrived and begun shooting at unarmed demonstrators; power, telephone and water had been cut off from the city's Arab districts of Ahvaz; the SSF had besieged the districts, and prevented people from entering or leaving.

IRNA reports a local official at the Khuzestan governor's office, Qodratollah Dehqan, said the area was calm now and the police had the situation under control. Officials were investigating to see whether "the hands of foreign agents and enemies of the revolution are at work".

Also, that Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said the Intelligence Ministry and the Supreme National Security Council had been ordered by President Khatami to identify who was behind the unrest.

Allegedly signed by former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi, the BAFS version of the letter stipulates a time-frame of 10 years to accomplish the ethnic restructuring programme, resulting in diluting of the Ahwazi Arab population to one third of the province's total population. Other ethnic groups were to be resettled to the province in order to accomplish this, particularly Azeri (Turks).

Abtahi is quoted by both IRNA and BAFS, from a website attributed to him: "I have never had the prerogative to order a change of demographic composition."

BAFS says in its press release that even so, a former member of Khatami's staff now living in exile had verified the authenticity of a copy the group received three weeks ago.

Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said in the IRNA news article, "Following special investigations which were carried out by the presidential office, it became clear that there exists no letter with such a content.

"Furthermore, the content of the letter indicates that it does not comply with any political principles of the Islamic Republic and it is merely aimed at inciting Iranian ethnic groups."

Governor of Khuzestan province, Fathollah Moin, was reported in IRNA: "The aim of the distributors of this forged letter is to disrupt existing solidarity among the people of the province through creating disunity and division and instigating public opinion."

Gulf Times also reports Al Jazeera as saying the London-based Popular Democratic Front of Ahvazi Arabs in Iran had called for peaceful demonstrations in the area "to mark 80 years of Iranian occupation".

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Iran Middle East Politics and conflicts