We condemn the repression of Khuzestani protesters
Four days have passed since the beginning of the protests in Khuzestan, and while we were shocked by the redness of the situation in Sistan and Baluchestan and other parts of the country because of the corona, we are witnessing red streets with the blood of Khuzestan protesters.
Khuzestan is surrounded by the Zagros Mountains from the north and east, and the Khuzestan Plain is one of the most water-rich regions of the country with five large rivers that originate from the Zagros. Today's water shortage, which has reached the brink of crisis, was predictable and preventable with proper management. Climate and drought crisis is an international problem and all governments have tried to solve problems by consulting environmental experts and using the experience of other countries in solving environmental crises, but the Islamic Republic in the past forty years refused to consult expert opinions, but rather has pursued a policy of imprisonment and repression for environmental activists.
For four days now, the people of Khuzestan have been shouting "I am thirsty" and chants have been heard in Khuzestan that signal the opening of a long-standing wound. A wound that has always been ignored on false charges and, despite having the most underground resources, has made this province one of the most deprived provinces.
According to reports, at least four young people have been killed so far in Shadegan and Ahvaz, and the project of confiscating the dead has been keyed by introducing them as the Basij.
Counterinsurgency units have entered all cities in the province, and concerns about violent clashes are growing as the Internet slows down.
Nine years ago, Mehdi Tayeb, the head of the council of the Ammar strategic base, said that between Khuzestan and Syria, the choice would be to help the Syrian government, and these days this choice has become more and more obvious; While the Islamic Republic is investing in the reconstruction of Syria, the people of Khuzestan are suffering from poverty and thirst, and the answer to their protest has been bullets and batons.
The Union for Secular Republic and Human Rights in Iran (USRHR) sympathizes with our compatriots of Khuzestan protesting against these repressions and strongly condemns it. USRHR also calls on all civil, trade union and political institutions not to leave the people of Khuzestan alone in this situation. Despite the inefficient government of the Islamic Republic, we will witness problems in other provinces.
