A report on the fifth night of uprisings in Khuzestan province against the water crisis; With the spread of the protests, a large number of counterinsurgency forces deployed to confront people
20-July-2021
Category: ethnic minorities
20-July-2021
Newsgroup: Ethnic Minorities –
Breathing in Confinement: On the evening of Monday, July 19, 2021, the uprisings in Khuzestan province against the water crisis continued. People in the cities of Shush, Susangerd, Malachieh, Ramhormoz, Mahshahr, Abadan, Hoveyzeh and various neighborhoods of Ahvaz took to the street to protest the water shortage. The peaceful protests, however, were dealt with harshly by security forces who opened fire on unarmed people, injuring and killing some. Photos and videos posted on social media show counterinsurgency forces who were being deployed to various cities of Khuzestan on Monday morning.
So far, the news of the killing of two protesters, Qassem Khadiri, 17, from Kut Abdullah, and Mustafa Naimawi, 30, from Shadegan, has been confirmed by the authorities of the Islamic Republic. Unconfirmed reports, however, reveal that more protesters have been killed.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, peaceful protests in Khuzestan turned violent on the fifth night, Monday, July 19, 2021, after security forces opened fire on people.
The protests began on Thursday, July 15, and have so far spread to at least 23 cities in the province. According to the reports, internet has been shut down in some parts of the province while the landline and mobile phone networks of some of the operators also have been disturbed.
On the second day of the uprisings, two protesters, Mustafa Naeemawi, 30, from Shadegan, and Qassem Khediri, 17, from Kut Abdullah, were shot dead by security forces. Reports indicate that a large number of protesters were killed and injured on the fourth night of the uprisings in Susangerd. Many protesters have also been arrested in Khorramshahr.
After a large number of people killed and injured in the protests, the governor of Khuzestan said that: “We must work around the clock to address people’s concerns.” A provincial security official also said that it would take “another 10 to 15 days” to supply drinking water to some parts of the province.
According to ISNA news agency, the governor of Khuzestan, Qassem Soleimani Dashtaki, said on July 17 that although water piping has been installed in some areas, but because the wells were dried out, and also due to some technical and infrastructural problems, the water was not supplied to the network and the shortage of drinking water continued.
Yesterday, Hassan Rouhani blaming the farmers for the drought and water crisis said: “Despite our advice on avoidance of rice cultivation, the people in Khuzestan have been cultivating rice for many years, and this has exacerbated the problem. These went hand in hand to get people into trouble.”
So far, via posting some photos and videos on social media, a pop singer Mohsen Chavoshi, the football coaches, Mehdi Rahmati and Yahya Golmohammadi, as well as soccer players, Varia Ghafouri and Seyed Jalal Hosseini have supported the uprisings in Khuzestan. They have called on the authorities to pay attention to the problems of people in Khuzestan.
More than 100 documentarians also supported the protests yesterday. In addition, the Defenders of Human Rights Center released a statement, condemning the crackdown on protesters.
Last night, the protesters in Shush, gathered in front of the house of a member of parliament, but security forces opened fire and wounded some of them.
The young protesters in the city of Susangerd besieged the governorate and demanded the governor to resign.
Young protesters also broke CCTV cameras in Susangerd.
In Revolution Alley in Ahvaz, the young protesters set fire to a vehicle of special units, after security forces clashed with them.
Many young protesters in Susangerd stood up against the security forces and pushed them back.
The women’s presence on the fifth night of the protests was so significant. They stood up against security forces and prevented them from getting close to the young protesters.