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Hizbullah Has Set Up Terror Cells
To Respond To Any Attack On Iran
Source: Al-Siyassah, Kuwait, September 20,
2007
Arab and foreign security sources said that Hizbullah has completed the
establishment of terror cells in countries bordering on Israel and Iraq,
including Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE.
According to the sources, the cells comprise Shi'ite supporters of Hizbullah
in these countries, under the supervision of Lebanese elements that are
subordinate to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and will be
activated if Iran is attacked.
It was also reported that Iran's embassies are serving as a cover for these
cells and seeing to their funding and arming.
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The Ahwazi Rights
Declaration, which has just been launched on petitiononline.com:
http://www.petitiononline.com/ahwazi/petition.html
It is based on the Mohammareh Declaration of 1979, issued amid Ahwazi Arab
protests demanding regional autonomy and cultural rights following the
overthrow of the Shah. The Revolutionary Guards responded by massacring over
800 Ahwazis, most in a single day known as Black Wednesday, an event that
has been completely eliminated from the history books by the regime and the
Persian chauvinist supporters of the Shah who dominate the Iranian
Diaspora's intelligensia.
The aim of the Declaration is to stake out the legal instruments that
support Ahwazi rights, the injustices perpetrated by the regime and the
demands of Ahwazi Arabs. It also declares that "the Ahwazi issue should not
be used as a pretext for foreign invasion and that the Ahwazi movement
should not be used as part of a proxy war between Iran and its foreign
enemies; the Ahwazi Arab civil rights movement should remain a genuine and
legitimate expression of ethnic grievances and aspirations."
I hope you will agree to support this Declaration either by signing the
petition here - http://www.petitiononline.com/ahwazi/petition.html - or
letting me know by email.
For the latest on the strike by thousands of workers at the Haft Tappeh
Sugar Cane Factory, please go here: http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/labels/labour.html
Regards,
Daniel Brett
Chairman, British Ahwazi Friendship Society.
Ahwazi
Declaration
-
Having regard to Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution permitting “the
use of regional and tribal languages in the press and mass media, as well
as for teaching of their literature in schools.”
-
Having regard to
Article 19 of the Iranian Constitution affirming that “all people of Iran,
whatever the ethnic group or tribe to which they belong, enjoy equal
rights; and colour, race, language, and the like, do not bestow any
privilege.”
-
Having regard to
Article
26 of the Iranian Constitution affirming that “The formation of parties,
societies, political or professional associations, as well as religious
societies, whether Islamic or pertaining to one of the recognized
religious minorities, is permitted provided they do not violate the
principles of independence, freedom, national unity, the criteria of
Islam, or the basis of the Islamic republic.”
-
Having
regard to Article 1 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights stating that
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
-
Having
regard to Article 7 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights affirming that
“All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination
to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection
against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against
any incitement to such discrimination.”
-
Having
regard to Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, ratified by Iran, affirming that “All peoples have the right of
self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their
political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural
development.”
-
Having
regard to Article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Racial Discrimination, ratified by Iran, condemning “racial
segregation and apartheid” and commits state parties to “undertake to
prevent, prohibit and eradicate all practices of this nature in
territories under their jurisdiction.”
-
Having
regard to Article 33(1) of the United Nations 1951 Convention Relating to
the Status of Refugees, declaring that "No Contracting State shall expel
or return ("refouler") a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers
of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of
his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group
or political opinion," and Article 14(1) of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, which states that "Everyone has the right to seek and to
enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution."
-
Having regard to the UN
General Assembly’s resolution expressing serious concern about the human
rights situation in Iran;
-
Having regard to the
reports by Amnesty International on the arrest, incommunicado detention,
use of torture and execution against Ahwazi Arab prominent journalists,
lawyers, tribal leaders, students and human rights activists;
-
Having regard to the
Amnesty International’s report acknowledging that 54 civilians who were
killed during the April 2005 uprising in Ahwaz City.
A. Whereas
the human rights situation in Iran has systematically deteriorated in the
last few years;
B. Whereas
Iran continues to arrest, imprisonment and execution of Ahwazi Arab minority
rights activists;
C. Whereas Iran
systematically refused to provide information and engage in a dialogue with
UN Special Rapporteurs on the continuing execution of Ahwazi Arabs,
violating its obligations under the procedures of the Human Rights Council;
D. Whereas
breaches of human and minority rights in Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz) continue to be
reported by non-governmental organisations, including the persecution of
ethnic Arabs and the destruction of their homes and confiscation of their
land;
E. Whereas in recent years
Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz) has witnessed a state-enforced change in ethnic
composition through forced out-migration of Arabs to other provinces and
in-migration of non-Arabs, as stated by UN Special Rapporteur for Adequate
Housing Miloon Kothari, which amounts to an ethnic cleansing policy;
F. Whereas Arabs are denied
employment under the gozinesh criteria;
G. Whereas Ahwazi Arab
refugees under the protection of the United Nations continue to be detained
and illegally deported or extradited from Syria.
We the
undersigned
1.
Condemn racism, political violence and reactionary ideologies;
2.
Condemn Iran’s persecution of Ahwazi Arabs on the grounds that collectively
they represent a national security threat;
3.
Call
upon Iran to respect the cultural, linguistic and historical identity of the
Arabs of Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz);
4.
Call
for an end to ethnically exclusive settlements in Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz),
including the use of separation barriers to segregate neighbourhoods by
ethnicity;
5.
Call
upon Iran to allow Arab freedom of expression and association, with the full
participation of Arab political parties in the electoral process, so long as
they are peaceful and respect the outcome of free and fair elections;
6.
Declare that the Ahwazi issue should not be used as a pretext for foreign
invasion and that the Ahwazi movement should not be used as part of a proxy
war between Iran and its foreign enemies; the Ahwazi Arab civil rights
movement should remain a genuine and legitimate expression of ethnic
grievances and aspirations;
7.
Consider unacceptable the persecution of Arabs in Iran and support an
independent and public investigation by the UN Human Rights Council into the
situation in Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz) following the repression of April 2005,
particularly a series of executions of Ahwazi Arabs, the killing of unarmed
Ahwazi Arab demonstrators and other extra-judicial killings;
8.
Call
for the recognition of the Arab people as a distinct ethnic group and
enshrine this in the Iranian Constitution;
9.
Call
for Arabs to be educated in their native tongue, up to higher educational
level;
10.
Call
for freedom of worship for non-Shia people of Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz) and the
rest of Iran, including Sunnis, Christians, Mandeans, Jews, Bahais,
Zoroastrians and other faiths and also to permit religious conversion and
atheist and humanist beliefs;
11.
Call
for the respect for women’s rights in Iran and for the appointment of an
Arab woman to take the position of women’s officer in the Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz)
provincial government in order to tackle culturally sensitive issues, such
as honour killing, health issues and education;
12.
Call
for the recognition of internally democratic, independent trade unions in
the workplace, with peaceful worker mobilisation free of government
intimidation;
13.
Call
for positive discrimination in favour of Arabs in Arab majority districts to
ensure adequate Arab representation in employment;
14.
Call
for Arab citizens’ equal right to housing, employment and ownership of
property throughout Iran;
15.
Call
for the establishment of a local assembly with powers to legislate and
enforce laws in Khuzestan (Al-Ahwaz) and ensure the participation of the
Arab people in the Iranian parliament and the Cabinet on the basis of their
proportion of the total population;
16.
Freedom of expression and publication should be emphasised with the
independent publication of Arabic language books and newspapers and
independent broadcasting on radio and television networks, without any kind
of censorship;
17.
Call
for oil revenues to be used to develop the Arab region's industry and
agriculture for the sake of employment and poverty alleviation;
18.
Call
for a review of the agrarian reform law, with land redistributed to
peasants;
19.
Condemn the arrest and imprisonment of Ahwazi Arab intellectuals,
journalists and lawyers and the closure of Arabic bookshops;
20.
Call
for the United Nations and refugee-hosting States, including Syria, to
respect the rights of Ahwazi Arab refugees to safe haven and asylum, and
immediately cease deportations to Iran.
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Response to Amnesty
International's report on Balochistan
To,
Amnesty International,
UK LONDON
Sat, 6 Oct 2007
Subject: Response to Amnesty International's report on Balochistan
The People's Resistance of Movement of Iran wishes to express its deepest
gratitude to you for preparing a report on the violations of fundamental
human rights of Baloch people in Iran.
This is the first report of such kind in the entire history of Balochistan
where the abuse and violations of human rights have been correctly
identified, recognized and expressed in terms of human rights.
Our organization was formed under the necessity of preserving our dignity,
identity, culture and freedom. All these values and issues have been widely
emphasised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other United
Nations and human rights conventions. The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights clearly manifests in its preamble:
"Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous
acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a
world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and
freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of
the common people, "
"Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as
a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human
rights should be protected by the rule of law." PREAMBLE, Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
This document clearly declares that when there is no any other choice,
people are entitled to rebellion against tyranny and oppression to protect
their fundamental rights.
We have repeatedly said that our organization is a self-defensive
organization. A defensive organization can only exist if it is attacked. We
act only in self-defence and avoid confrontation in public places where the
lives of ordinary people may be endangered. If the Iranian regime stops its
discriminatory and ethnic cleansing policies against Baloch in Balochistan,
there would not be any tangible reason for our existence.
We are committed fully and completely to all of the articles of human rights
charter. If you and other international organizations and countries apply
pressure on Iranian regime to respect and recognize the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and other conventions, there will be no reason
for us to take arms against it.
We urge you to seek the support of other countries and human-friendly
organizations to help in stopping the Iranian regime from violating our
fundamental human rights in Balochistan.
In your report suggest the following recommendations to us
- Immediately cease all abductions and hostage-taking, which violate
international law.
- Immediately cease all executions, torture and ill-treatment of people
under their control, which violate international law.
- End indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and refrain from attacks
against civilians.
- Remove any members suspected of abuses from positions and situations where
they might continue to perpetrate abuses.
- Publicly condemn attacks against civilians, indiscriminate attacks,
hostage-taking, executions, torture and ill-treatment, and issue
instructions to members strictly prohibiting such acts in all circumstances.
- Undertake to abide by customary principles of international humanitarian
and human rights law.
We publicly declare that we accept your recommendations. We also publicly
declare that our legal and legitimate activities will continue until we stop
tyranny and oppression against our people as recommended in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
The Baloch people along will never give up their right to campaign for
establishing democracy in Iran . We will never surrender as our surrender
will be the encouragement of the oppressor to pursue its policies of tyranny
and oppression against the Baloch people in a wider range.
The Baloch people are entitled to a prosperous, decent, peaceful, secure,
and stable life and we are going to continue our legitimate and legal
campaign to achieve these objectives.
However, we have done our best to comply with international law and human
rights principles and conventions in very tough circumstances in which we
live. We are not a state and therefore we do not possess the appropriate
facilities and yet, our treatments of our prisoners have been much better
than the treatment that the Iranian government has given to their prisoners.
The Iranian regime has announced Balochistan as a war zone. You in your own
report documented the directive the commanders of the Iranian security
forces in Balochistan received in which they are instructed to execute the
Baloch people when they were arrested without trial. When we capture the
members of security forces, we treat them with human dignity. We cannot
treat them otherwise as we are fighting for the preservation of human
dignity all over Iran and for all Iranians.
We know how important is the dignity of people and their fundamental human
rights as we are the victims of a regime that uses fear to crash our dignity;
a regime that doesn't follow its own constitution, laws and regulations,
neither the international law or recommendations of human rights
organisations.
As a matter of fact, many international organizations and countries have
chosen to be silent on the abuse and violations of human rights in Iran and
specifically on ethnic minorities. We have also reached this painful
conclusion that the world does not show serious concern about the abuse and
violations of fundamental rights of the Baloch people by the Iranian regime;
therefore, it is our responsibility and duty to use all our potentials to
stop it ourselves.
We are determined to pursue our campaign along with other oppressed nations
throughout the world until we realise our vision which is based on democracy,
freedom and human dignity.
The international community must not allow itself to become a silent
observer of human rights violations in Balochistan by Iranian regime because
it is well aware of this fact that the Iranian regime is sponsoring
international terrorism throughout the world and has exported violence and
terrorism all over the earth. This regime could not have done that if the
international community had the will to stop it.
We are a small organization but we have the courage and determination to do
what the rest of the world has chosen to avoid.
The People's Resistance of Movement of Iran
(ex-Jondollah)
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Shia Cleric shot dead in
Balochistan
Source: Balochistan News ; 05-10-2007
A Shia cleric was shot dead on Tuesday
(02-10-2007) as he was giving a sermon in the Sunni dominated province of
Baluchistan, state media reported on Wednesday.
Hojjatolislam Mehdi Tavakoli was gunned down
by two men in the city of Whash (Khash).
The official news agency IRNA reported that
Tavakoli, who had traveled to Whash (Khash) from outside Balochistan, was
shot dead while giving a prayers sermon.
The two gunmen made away on motorcycles, the
government-owned news agency Fars said.
The report in IRNA accused the United States and of backing Tavakoli’s
killers.
“Last night … terrorists supported by the White House in the city of Khash,
in southern Sistan-va-Baluchistan, martyred a cleric”, it said, adding that
the U.S. was hoping to create an atmosphere of “fear and terror” in Iran.
In a separate report, IRNA quoted Hojjatolislam Mohammad-Hossein Moussa-Pour,
the Interior Ministry’s legal and parliamentary director, as saying, “The
assassination of the Shiite cleric … in Khash took place at the hands of
mercenaries who were definitely supported by the U.S. spying agencies”.
Iranian government regularly send Shia sermon
to Balochistan and other Sunni areas to preach Shia Islam among Sunnis.
Sunni Balochs complain of discriminatory and
repressive policies by the Shia theocratic regime in Iran.
Balochistan Province is home to Balochs, a predominantly Sunni Muslim ethnic
minority.
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