ONE KILLED IN IRAN’S KHUZESTAN WATER CRISIS PROTESTS

Sat 17 July 2021:

Protests continued Friday in the Khuzestan province of Iran with greater crowds because of water shortages.

Large demonstrations were seen in Ahvaz, Hamidiyeh, Hoveyzeh and Susangerd where the majority of residents are Iranians of Arab descent, according to sources.

Demonstrators demanded that the government stop a project that provides water transfers from the Karun River to other regions they said has led to water shortages.

A young man was shot dead during a second night of protests. The deadly incident came on Friday in the Khuzestan town of Shadegan, Omid Sabripour, the county’s acting governor, told IRNA on Saturday, blaming the death on “opportunists and rioters”.

Videos posted on social media have shown protesters setting fire to tyres to block roads and security forces trying to disperse crowds as shots were heard.

During some of the protests, people vented their anger with Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, chanting “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei”.

Some were arrested on Friday night, with a manhunt launched for the others.

Demonstrations started in Hamidiyeh, Bostan, Shadegan, Shush, Danial and Bandar Mahshahr late Thursday because of accessing clean drinking water after the approval of the project.

Separate working groups were formed by the government and judicial officials to solve the issue while officials were reportedly sent to the region.

This month, rolling blackouts began in the capital, Tehran, and several other large cities, which officials blamed on the effects of the drought on hydroelectric power generation, as well as surging demand.

Power cuts in the peak summer months are not uncommon in Iran, but the continuing drought has intensified the situation.

Khuzestan is home to a large Sunni Arab minority, which has frequently complained of marginalisation in mainly Shia Iran.

In 2019, the province was a hotspot of anti-government protests that had shaken other areas of the Islamic republic.

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