Iranian Intelligence Forces Minor Poet Mohammad Asjrawi to Deny His Arrest in Video Recording
Hussain Hazbavi 
Under pressure from Iranian intelligence, Ahwazi minor and poet Mohammad Asjrawi, who is only 16 years old, appeared in a video recording denying news of his arrest, which had been circulated by Ahwazi activists on social media platforms.
This new tactic by the IRGC Intelligence Agency is seen as an attempt to deflect growing criticism over its continued violations of intellectual and political freedoms.
Mohammad Asjrawi was in fact arrested in the city of Abadan on June 25, 2025, by the Revolutionary Guard’s Intelligence Unit and then transferred to an unknown location.
The Ahwazi Organization for Human Rights confirms that the arbitrary arrests carried out by Iranian authorities in Ahwaz—especially since the start of the Iran–Israel war—have affected hundreds of Ahwazis. These arrests are aimed at intimidating the public and suppressing any peaceful movement, and they represent a blatant violation of international and humanitarian law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which explicitly guarantees freedom of expression, thought, and belief.
Article 9 of the ICCPR states:
- Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.
