Security agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Ahvaz have arrested an Arab teacher named Falah Heydari on 19 May, and since then there has been no information about the detention location and situation of this prominent teacher.
A source told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that “On the afternoon of Wednesday, 19 May, security agents entered Falah Heydari’s house in Ahvaz without a court order and used violence to arrest him and his 29-year-old son, Safa. Then they took them to an unknown location. Officers also insulted and harassed other members of the family and even beat one of Mr. Heydari’s children who had objected to their treatment.”
According to this source, in addition to confiscating Falah Heydari’s personal belongings, including cell phones and books, security agents also took the CCTV cameras installed at his house.
Although IRGC agents released Safa Heydari after several hours of interrogation, Falah Heydari is still being held in an unknown location 17 days after his arrest, and no information is available on his situation. Also, in recent days, Safa Heydari has been summoned several times to the Intelligence Organisation of the IRGC in Ahvar and interrogated. The Intelligence Organisation of the IRGC has even summoned Fiha Haidari, the 14-year-old daughter of Falah Heydari, on 30 June, and interrogated her in difficult psychological conditions.
Abdolrahman Heydari, Falah Heydari’s brother who lives in the UK, says his brother has no political activities and his detention was due to the political activities of two family members abroad. “It is clear to us that my brother was arrested because of my and his son Alaa Heydari’s political activities in Australia. Both of us have already received threatening messages that our families would face pressure.”
Pointing out that the Arab teacher has diabetes and high blood pressure, his family expressed concern about the lack of information on his situation, his continued detention in harsh detention conditions, and the possibility of torture.
Falah Heydari, 58, is a graduate of educational psychology from Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran. He has been teaching in various schools since 1985 and is one of the well-known teachers in Ahvaz. In recent years, after retiring, he founded a non-profit school in one of the suburbs of the city called Sayahi. According to Arab human rights activists, his activities have been limited to cultural and social affairs, and he has been active as a local trustee in matters such as helping to resolve local disputes, collecting aid for those in need, and forming sports teams for young people.
It should be noted that human rights activists from Ahvaz had previously reported the arrest of a number of Arab civilians and activists following the Eid al-Fitr celebrations on 14 May in Ahvaz. Activists say that in the past three weeks, in addition to Falah Heydari, other Arab civilians and activists, including Amir Gharbavi, Valid Heydari, and Yousef Tarfi, have been detained by security forces in the Sayahi neighbourhood of Ahvaz.
