Documented Ahwazi sources have reported the death of 34-year-old Ahwazi citizen Hassan Saadi under torture in a detention center belonging to the Iranian intelligence agency in the city of Ahwaz, on Wednesday, October 23, 2025.

According to the sources, Iranian security forces raided the victim’s home in the Malathani area at dawn on Tuesday, October 22, violently arresting him in front of his family. They confiscated mobile phones belonging to him and his family members without presenting any legal warrant or giving any reason for the arrest, nor was he informed of any charges.

This act constitutes a clear violation of Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states:

“Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him.”

The next day at noon, the family received a summons from the intelligence agency (locally known as “Setad Khabari 113”) to come and collect the body of their son. Authorities claimed the cause of death was a “heart attack”, but the family categorically denied this, stating that their son was in good health and suffered from no illnesses—strengthening the belief that he died under severe torture.

The victim, who was married and father to two daughters, was known for his cultural and social activism within the Ahwazi community and had previously been arrested for his peaceful activism.

Ahwazi activists believe this brutal incident is part of preemptive security campaigns carried out by Iranian authorities to intimidate Ahwazi citizens and deter them from any opposition to Iranian rule in Ahwaz. These authorities follow a systematic policy of repression and physical elimination of opinion leaders to instill fear and terror in the Ahwazi society.

The Alahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R) holds the Iranian authorities fully responsible for the killing of Hassan Saadi and calls for an independent international investigation into this crime and the prosecution of those responsible. It also urges international human rights bodies, foremost among them the United Nations, to take effective steps to stop the ongoing violations against the Arab Ahwazi people.