Continuing Wave of Arbitrary Arrests: Cultural Activist Mehdi Khaledi and Former Political Prisoner Jassim Sawaedi Arrested in Alahwaz
Amid the ongoing wave of suppression and systematic arrests targeting Arab activists in the Alahwaz region, Iranian security forces have detained two more individuals and transferred them to undisclosed locations, leaving their fate shrouded in uncertainty.
Details of the New Arrests:
* Mehdi Khaledi (Shushtar): On the evening of Saturday, September 12, 2026, Mehdi Khaledi, an Arab cameraman and cultural activist residing in Shushtar, was arrested by the IRGC Intelligence Organization and taken to an unknown location. No information has yet been released regarding his charges or condition. This arrest follows a recent wave of detentions targeting cultural figures such as Aref Naseri, Mehdi Naseri, and Mohammed Kaabi.
* Jassim Sawaedi (Hamidieh – Alahwaz): On Monday, September 14, 2026, Jassim Sawaedi (Saedi), a political activist and former political prisoner born in 1984 and residing in the city of Hamidieh (located 25 km from Alahwaz), was arrested by the Alahwaz Intelligence Department. To date, there is no information regarding the reasons for his re-arrest, the charges against him, or his place of detention.
Background of Political Prisoner Jassim Sawaedi:
Jassim Sawaedi is a former political prisoner who previously spent many years behind bars. He was initially arrested in February 2012 alongside Hassan Abiat, Eidan Beit-Sayyah, Reza Anidzadeh, Jalil Naami, and Khaled Obaidawi. They were tried before the Revolutionary Court in Alahwaz under fabricated charges such as “enmity against God” (Moharebeh), “corruption on Earth,” and establishing anti-regime organizations, resulting in a 15-year prison sentence for Sawaedi. Sawaedi and his co-defendants endured over 11 months of severe physical and psychological torture in the Alahwaz Intelligence detention center to force false confessions broadcasted on the Iranian state-affiliated English-language network “Press TV.” In the same case, Hassan Abiat was sentenced to death, and his sentence was carried out at dawn on Monday, February 20, 2023, at Sepidar Prison in Alahwaz. Having served 11 years of his sentence, Jassim Sawaedi was conditionally released in January 2023, only to be re-arrested by intelligence forces today.
The Organization’s Position:
The Alahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R) strongly condemns these escalating arbitrary arrests and the re-detention of former political prisoner Jassim Sawaedi. The organization calls upon international human rights bodies to intervene immediately to reveal the fate of those detained and press for their prompt and unconditional release.
The Alahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R)
