The Alahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R) strongly condemns the Iranian authorities' ongoing expansion of oil extraction in the international Hawizeh Marshes (Hor al-Azim). The new "Sohrabi" oil field project in the heart of the marshland marks the fifth major oil project in the area—joining North Azadegan, South Azadegan, North Yaran, and South Yaran in the West Karoun region.
This project exposes state-sponsored policies targeting the Arab presence and the environment through:
* State Deception and Environmental Destruction: While official Iranian statements claim the project requires drying only 18 hectares and drilling 20 wells, reality on the ground indicates the actual area to be dried is at least 69 hectares, with 32 oil wells to be drilled. Given the state's lack of transparency, the actual destruction is expected to exceed even these figures, threatening total ecosystem collapse.
* Demographic Engineering and Forced Displacement: These oil projects act as a cover to displace hundreds of Ahwazi Arab families from their ancestral villages, replacing them with thousands of non-local settlers for employment while systematically excluding local Arabs.
* Economic Ruin of Neighboring Villages: Local communities reliant on fishing, buffalo herding, and agriculture lose their livelihoods due to marshland desiccation, causing forced migration and poverty.
The Alahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R) calls upon international bodies, including the UNEP and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, to intervene urgently to halt these destructive projects and protect the indigenous Arab population.