Press Release / Urgent Statement issued by The Ahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R)
The Ahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R) strongly condemns the arbitrary extrajudicial killing committed by elements of the Iranian Law Enforcement Command against two Ahwazi citizens, which led to them burning to death inside their vehicle at the entrance of the city of Abadan.
According to reliable Ahwazi sources received by the Organization, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, brothers Hamed Al-Khanafireh (Shawardi) and Haidar Al-Khanafireh (Shawardi), residents of the city of Fallahiyeh (Shadegan), were targeted with direct and heavy gunfire by CID (Agahi) officers of the Iranian security forces in Abadan while driving a Peugeot 405 carrying a quantity of fuel.
Human rights sources confirmed to the Organization that an officer in the Abadan police, identified as “Mohammadi,” fired directly with an automatic weapon at the vehicle upon its non-compliance with orders to stop at the city entrance. This triggered an immediate fire in the fuel load, causing both brothers to burn to death inside the car.
The same sources reported that the motive behind targeting the two brothers directly stems from their refusal to pay “extortion fees and bribes” imposed by certain security personnel to facilitate the passage of fuel porters, leading to their summary execution on the spot after refusing to submit to this extortion.
The Ahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R) recalls that widespread poverty, systemic unemployment, and economic marginalization in the region force many Ahwazi youth to resort to transporting small quantities of fuel (“Fuel Carrying / Soukhtbari”) to secure a daily living for their families.
Intentionally opening direct live fire on vehicles without the presence of an imminent threat to officers’ lives constitutes a flagrant violation of the Right to Life (Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and fits the definition of Extrajudicial Execution, completely contradicting international standards on the use of firearms by law enforcement officials.
Consequently, The Ahwazi Organization for Human Rights (A.O.H.R) demands the following:
1. An immediate, independent, and transparent investigation under international supervision into the circumstances of this crime, holding officer Mohammadi and those who issued the direct shoot-to-kill orders fully accountable.
2. Holding the Iranian authorities fully legally and criminally responsible for the systematic “shoot-to-kill” policy targeting vulnerable laborers and workers in the region.
3. Urging the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and international bodies to urgently intervene, document these systematic violations, and highlight the summary executions and physical liquidations targeting Ahwazi workers and citizens.
