More than 100 Ahwazi Arab, regional and international freedom activists and writers have called for an inquiry into the assassination of distinguished Ahwazi leader and political rights activist Ahmed Mola, who was assassinated in The Hague on November 8th. The Iranian regime, which had threatened Mola on a number of occasions and assassinated a number of prominent Ahwazi and other exiled dissidents in Europe, is believed to be behind the latest killing.
In the letter, addressed to the government of the Netherlands, the signatories lauded the Netherlands’ international reputation for justice, saying: “We know that your country hosts the International Criminal Tribunal and your people are peace-loving.”
The letter called Mola’s assassination “a huge loss to the Ahwazi people,” which it said, “deals a blow to the core values of humanity.”
They plainly accused the Iranian regime of being behind the assassination, saying, “The Iranian regime has killed multiple prominent dissidents who were living in European capitals. We call on the esteemed government of the Netherlands to open an investigation into this incident and publish its results as fast as possible in full transparency.”
The letter pointed out that such an investigation would ensure that justice was served and would also serve as a deterrent to any future assassination attempts, potentially sparing the lives of the other exiled political activists in The Hague and in other European countries.
In conclusion, the signatories voiced hope that the growing economic interests between the Netherlands and the Iranian regime would not obstruct any investigation by the authorities into Mola’s assassination.
Mola was murdered outside his family’s home on November 8, with his killer shooting him five time at point-blank range in an assassination very typical of those carried out by the Iranian regime.
Ahwazi Arabs, one of the larger ethnic minority populations in Iran, have been campaigning for decades for recognition of their basic rights. Despite being the indigenous inhabitants of the Ahwaz region which hosts over 95 percent of the oil and gas resources claimed by Iran’s regime, they are subjected to horrendous persecution based on their Arab ethnicity, and denied even the right to publicly wear their traditional Arab garb or speak their own, Arabic, language.
Until 1925, Ahwaz was an autonomous emirate, with most Ahwazis regarding it as an occupied state and supporting secession and independence; these calls for separatism are strengthened by successive regimes’ brutality and persecution of the indigenous Ahwazi people. In July of 2017, Ahmed Mola had vowed to continue working for freedom, justice and democracy for the Ahwazi people, saying that the Arab Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA) wished to “liberate Ahwazi lands and peoples from Iranian occupation”
Despite Mola’s assassination, the ASMLA has vowed to continue with his legacy of working for freedom.
Letter
To His Excellency Mr. Mark Rutte
The respected Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,
You may be aware that on Wednesday, 8th November 2017, Ahmad Mola Neissi, a prominent Ahwazi Arab political activist, was assassinated in the City of Hague.
We greatly admire your country’s reputation as a nation of peace and justice, known as the ‘Land of Flowers’, a home of prominent philosophers and artists such as Baruch Spinoza, Rambrondt and Vincent van Gogh.
Your esteemed country, where many politicians, philosophers and artists have sought refuge from tyrannical regimes throughout history, is also renowned for hosting the International Court of Justice. In light of this proud heritage, the recent assassination represents a blight on society and a sad indictment of humanity.
We, the undersigned, strongly suspect that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran was involved in the assassination of Ahmad Mola Neissi, based on its previous threats to kill him and on its history of assassinating dissidents who had fled Iran to escape persecution. Our suspicions of Iranian regime involvement are based on knowledge of the regime’s long history of threatening and assassinating dissidents in many European countries which dates back to the 1980s shortly after the regime first took power. Iranian dissidents are very well aware that the regime maintains a global network of operatives stem from the fact that since the Islamic Revolution in Iran, we know that the Iranian regime has been involved in the assassination of hundreds of Iranian dissidents in European countries. In this regard, we are aware that the Iranian Security Services and their Mafia are active in the Kingdom of Netherlands, as well as globally.
We urge your esteemed government to undertake an urgent and thorough investigation into the murder of Ahmad Mola Neissi with a view to finding the perpetrators and initiating prosecutions in accordance with the law as soon as possible. Furthermore, we request that the criminal and judicial process is conducted with due transparency so that the perpetrators are identified and named in order to serve justice and protect the lives of other Ahwazi Arab political refugees residing in the Netherlands and other EU countries.
We hope that any political and economic interests that your government has with Iran does not impact, influence or taint the criminal investigation into the assassination of Ahmad Mola Neissi and does not impede the implementation of justice.
We also hope that soon we will receive positive news that the perpetrators of Ahmad Mola Neisi’s assassination have been caught, identified and named in the spirit of transparency and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Signatories
Alaa Eldin Elsaied Journalist and the head of Lovers of Al- Bayt foundation -Egypt, Abdollah Aref – Human Rights Activist, Abdulla Seyahoei – Baluchistan National Movement, Abdulrahman Ahwazi – Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement in Ahwaz [PADMAZ], Abdulrahman Hetteh – Ahwazi Human rights activist, London, Adel Abdolrahim Sayahi – Ahwazi Arab Political activists, Australia, Ali Al-Saadi – Director of Ahwazi human rights Organization- Germany, Ali Alhajhousin – Syrian journalist in the UK, Ali Asghar Haghdar – Azerbaijani Author and Researcher, Ali Eidan – Human Right Activist- UK,Ali Farhood Zidan – Ahwazi Activist and former political prisoner, Australia, Ali Saedi, Researcher of Ahwazi Observetory for Human Rights- London- UK, Amar Tasaei – Ahwazi writer- Norway, Amir Saedi Human rights activist- UK, Anouar Ouled Ali – Lawyer at the Court of Cassation, Tunisia, Ardalan Abdulahi , Kurdish Journalist- France, Atef Elsayed Ahmed, lovers of Al – Bayt foundation- Egypt, Avatef Asadian Falahieh – Ahwazi activist and poet – Sweden , Awad Elshinawy , Engineer-Egypt,Ayoub Saeid – Ahwazi political activist, Netherlands, Babek Chalabiyanli – Spokesman of Azerbaijan National Resistance Organization, Bakhtiyar Karimi, Political activist – Germany, Behzad Khoshhali, Kurdish writer and political activist- – Germany, Chaseb Hashem Heidary – Ahwazi Observetory for Human Rights- Kuwait, Christiane Yousif – Writer and journalist- France, Daaeer Chasep Mohamed – Ahwazi former political prisoner- Denmark, David Turpin Jr – Anti-War Committees in Solidarity with the Struggles for Self Determination, Davud Turan – Editor in Chief of South Azerbaijan Social and Cultural Studies Center, Dokhi Mohammad Alfhid – Kuwaiti Lawyer and the Assistant Secretary General of the Arab Lawyers Union, Dr. Anwar Malek – Algerian Author and Human Rights Observer, Dr. Hamdan Dammag – Deputy Chair of Yamani Study Centre,Dr. Hassan Eid – Chairman of the Free German Syrian Society in Hamburg and Syrian Human Rights Activist.
Dr. Jamal Eltahir Hassan Ahmed – Advocate and assistant professor University of Khartoum, Karim Abdian – Executive Director Ahwaz Human Rights Organization, Washington, D.C. – USA, Dr. Mohamed Alshekhili – Director of Arabic Center for Justice, UK-London, Dr. Muhydin Lazikani – Syrian Journalist.
Dr. Smail Khalafallah – Lawyer from Algeria, Dr. Hazam taha, lovers of Al – Bayt foundation-Egypt, Ebrahim Ahrari Khalaf – Kalameh TV Presenter, Elchin Yousefi – Journalist in GunazTV, Elham Saedi – Human Rights Activist- UK, Elmahjouby Khaled – Libyen Organization for Truth and Justice, Kuwait, Ensafali Hedayat – Journalist, GunAZ TV- Canada, Essam Agaag ,Lawyer- Egypt.
Faisal Al-Turfi – Former General Secretary of Arab Front for Liberation of Al-Ahwaz, Fawaz Sahood Al-Enezi – Secretary General of the International Association for Rights and Freedoms- Kuwait, Foad Atiya – Human rights and political activist, Netherlands, Habib Mahawy – Ahwazi Activist, London, Habibollah Sarbazi – Director of Baloch Activists Campaign, Hadi Torfi – AlAraby TV Producer- UK, Hafez Fazeli Political Activist- UK, Hakiki Mohammed – Human Rights Defender, Morocco, Hakim Alkabi – Chairman of Karon International Foundation for Culture and Integration, Hamed Kanani – Ahwazi Journalist, Hamid Saedi – Ahwazi former political prisoner, Hassan Radhi – Director of Ahwazi Centre for Media and Strategic Studies, Helmet Maroufi – Kurdish Journalist, Swiserlands, Herman Hasani – Kurdish Journalist, Norway, Iman Muradweisi – Kurdish Norway, political activist, Irina Tsukerman – Human rights and national security lawyer (NY), Isa Sawari – Former Political prisoner and News Editor of Ahwazna TV, Netherlands, Jaber Ahmad – Ahwazi political and researcher, Finland, Jaleh Tabrizi Azerbaijani – Human Rights activist- France, Jalil Sharhani – General Secertary of Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz [DSPA]- UK, Jamal Obeidi – Ahwazi Journalist- UK, Jamal Poorkarim – Kurdish Political activist- France, James C. Kubik – Radio Free Syria, Jamil Wadi Mayahi – Ahwazi Poet- UK, Jomeh Yassin Sharhani – Poet and Ahwazi former political prisoner- Sweden, Kadhem Wali – Human rights activist, UK, Kajal Mohammadi – Kurdish Ph.D. Candidate at Carleton University in Ottawa Canada, Kathem Hassod Mojaddam – Student at University of Copenhagen. Layeq Moradi – Political activist, Denmark, Majedeh Saedi – Ahwazi Activist, Sweden, Majid Javadi – Member of executive committee of Azerbaijan National Resistance Organization, Manar Jaber Ahmad – Ahwazi civil engineer- Fenland, Mary Hassan Ali Rizzo – Human rights activist, freelance Journalist, Italy, Mahmoud Elhougery , Teacher- Saudi Arabia, Masaab Mohamadi – Journalist, UK, Mostapha Hassan, freelance journalist , Egypt , Mashallah Razmi Azerbaijani – Political Analyst- France, Mehrab Dadolahi Sarjov – The Campaign for an independent Baluchistan from Iran- UK, Mohamed Al Ammadi, MP in the Bahraini Parliament- Bahrain, Mohamed Yonis Mesilhey, Member of the Egyptian Ministry of Awqaf, Egypt, Mohamed Ahmed Saber, Announcer-Egypt, Mona Silawi – UNPO Project Officer, Mousa Sharifi Ahwazi Journalist, Mostafa Hetteh – Ahwazi writer- Canada, Mousa Mousavi – Ahwazi Poet and researcher in cultural affairs, Netherlands, Mustfa kamel member of lovers of Al – Bayt foundation-Egypt, Nahi Saedi – Ahwazi political activist- UK.
Nasser Aziz, Ahwazi Journalist, Naser Alfadhala, former MP in the Bahraini Parliament, Bahrain, Nasser Radwan, lovers of Al – Bayt foundation-Egypt, Odeh Afravi – Ahwazi former political prisoner, Germany, Omar Abdulanezhad, Journalist– France, Paul McLoughlin – Editor of The New Arab, Professor Gill Leighton, York University, Human rights advocate, Director of the Iranian Refugees Action Network, Raed Baroud – Palestinian freelance Translator based in Scotland, Rahim Bandoi – Political Activist from Baluchistan-Iran, UK ,Rahim Haideri – Ahwazi political activist and poet, Netherlands, Rahim Hamid – Ahwazi Human rights activist and freelance journallit and co-founder and senior editor of Ahwaz Monitor website, U.S, Rahmatula Derakhshani, political activist– Switzerland, Rasoul Paybarsang – Kurdish Political activist- France, Ramazan Saedi Ahwazi Journalist- UK.
Ramy Eysaa lovers of Al – Bayt foundation -Egypt, Reza Ravandust, Political activist- Turkey, Hossam Mohy Elden, Announcer- Egypt.
Ruhollah Moradi Qashqai – Chair of Gashqai Human Rights Defenders Committee, Ruth Riegler – Writer/Editor, Scotland, Saeideh Bentarif – Ahwazi Women’s Activist-UK, Sahar Beit Mashal – Human Rights Activist- UK, Said Baghi – Journalist, German, Saleh Kamrani – Lawyer and South Azerbaijani human rights defender, Sweden, Sam Hamad – Independent Scottish-Egyptian activist, and writer, Shayan Borbor Qashqai – Spokesperson of Gashqai Human Rights Defenders Committee,
Shima Silawi – Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation [AHRO], Belgium, Shler Darwishi – Journalist, France, Shoaib Daneshpajuh, political activist- Germany, Taha Yassin – Vice-President of European Ahwazi Human Rights Organisation- the UK, Taher Mahami – Journalist, Togrul Atabay – Researcher, Usama Zayed, Journalist- Egypt, Wajdan Afrawi – Ahwazi political activist-UK,
Walid Neissi – Ahwazi Former political prisoner, UK, Yaghoub Saeid Sharhani – Ahwazi political activist, Netherlands, Yaqoub Neisi – Chair of Ahwaz TV, Denmark, Yasser Assadi – Human right activist and journalist, London, Yosra Mohammad Al-Masri – Palestinian translator, Younes Shameli – Azerbaijani Journalist- Norway, Yousef Alawneh – Journalist, Jordan,Yousef Alsarkhi – Ahwazi writer and poet, Netherlands, Yousef Azizi Benitorf – Writer and the General Secretary of the Centre Against Racism in Iran- UK.
By Rahim Hamid is an Ahwazi Arab freelance journalist and human rights advocate and co-founder of Ahwaz Monitor website who mainly writes about the plight of his people in Iran.
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