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The protests started in the oil-rich Khuzestan province amid a drought that the World Bank has said is one of the worst in Iran in the last 50 years
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The lack of water has led to a stop in agriculture and livestock-farming, and in many cases even affected households
At least nine people — including a child — have been killed and hundreds arrested as Iran cracked down on its water protests over the past few weeks, global non-profit Human Rights Watch has said in a statement.
“The rising death toll and mass arrests raise grave concerns” about the response of Iran to the recent protests in Khuzestan and other provinces in the country, it said.
“The authorities should immediately and unconditionally release peaceful protesters, provide information about deaths, and allow an independent international investigation into security agencies’ alleged use of lethal force,” said the HRW statement.
It added: “All those responsible for abuses should be held to account.”
The statement quoted Tara Sepehri Far, Iran researcher at HRW, as saying: “The Iranian political leaders’ primary response to widespread demands for basic rights has been unchecked repression.”
She added: “Only a transparent investigation into the deaths of protesters, holding security forces accountable for wrongdoing, and a commitment to address long-term grievances can begin to address the local population’s loss of trust in the authorities.”
The protests over lack of water started in the oil-rich Khuzestan province amid a drought that the World Bank has said is one of the worst in Iran in the last 50 years.
The lack of water has led to a stop in agriculture and livestock-farming, and in many cases even affected households.
The protests have since spread to several areas of the country, including capital Tehran.
They have also gained a political edge to them, because Khuzestan is home to the country’s Arab minority, who supported the rulers overthrown by the current regime in the 1970s. The Arabs say they have been discriminated against since then.
