On 26 August 2019, the regime’s security forces clashed with locals of the village Abolfazl in southwest Iran. The security forces were there to demolish the local resident’s homes and had transported heavy machinery into the area. 130 of the local Iranian’s are now facing bogus charges and have warrants out for their arrest.
Pellet guns and tear gas were used by the regime’s security forces against the residents, who were protesting the destruction of their local homes. Several of them were injured and in need of medical attention. Small children were also affected by the security forces’ use of tear gas and were consequently left with breathing disorders. Sources have stated that the village of Abolfazl was raided by the security forces, who injured and arrested dozens of local people.
Abolfazl is situated between the town of Zardasht and an air defense base located North West of Ahvaz, the capital of Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan province. The village now belongs to Ahvaz’s District 8 and is comprised of eight roads, which each lead to more than 40 houses. One square meter in this area is worth 20 million rials, equal to approximately $85.
The regime’s Mostazafan Foundation is claiming that the land of the village belongs to them and has ordered the evacuation of all residents, including those who have lived in the area for decades. Until this order for evacuation, no regime had ever laid claim on these lands.
Following the end of the 1980’s Iran-Iraq War thirty years ago, Abolfazl was an unvalued area, deemed inadequate for farming. As the oil-rich city of Ahvaz and the surrounding province rapidly expanded, so did the real estate value of Abolfazl.
As the city of Ahvaz continues to grow, the surrounding villages have become the focus of many regime bodies. The Mostazafan Foundation has a long and corrupt history of falsely claiming ownership over the properties of ordinary local people in these areas. Many hectares of land which belonged to the residents have already been appropriated by various regime institutions, such as the Mostazafan Foundation, forcing locals to leave their lives and homes behind. Anyone who has protested the evacuation has been arrested and given a jail sentence.
Residents of Abolfazl have attempted many times over the past two years to find a solution and alternative to the evacuation, traveling all the way to the Iranian capital of Tehran. One local said: “We have livestock and farming documents, and these lands belong to us from our ancestors. In Tehran, officials promised to resolve this issue for us.”
Another local said: “In Ahvaz, they told us to present documents, the cost for each square meter, property information with UTM documents, and a full list of the locals. We had all these documents registered. After some time, we hired the necessary expert and obtained UTM documents, and were able to present all the documents requested by the Ahvaz branch of the Mostazafan Foundation.”
“Unfortunately, despite their previous promises and arrangements to resolve this issue, the result was completely the opposite and those officials actually became even more intent on confiscating our lands. A short while later they summoned 130 of the village locals. These individuals were in detention and many of them were released only after we paid bails costing a whopping 2 billion rials (around $8,500). However, even now their cases remain open in court,” he added.
“Municipality agents escorted by state security forces attack our village every now and then, demolishing numerous homes. They even attack us at night and terrify our families. That is why people are forced to have night guards for the village,” another local said.
When resisting the state security forces and municipality forces, more than 130 Abolfazl villagers were arrested, despite the fact that documents are available which prove the resident’s ownership of their lands. The individuals say they were put under severe pressure while in detention to sign documents that would allow the Iranian authorities to demolish their homes, which they refused.
The President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI), Maryam Rajavi: I urge the brave people and youth of Ahvaz to rush to the aid of the residents of Abolfazl district. They have committed no crime but defending their lives and homes against the mullahs’ corrupt Mostazafan foundation.
I urge the brave people and youth of #Ahvaz to rush to the aid of the residents of Abolfazl district. They have committed no crime but defending their lives and homes against the mullahs’ corrupt Mostazafan foundation. https://t.co/aK50yLQ9Dj pic.twitter.com/0Mo3MC8dWg
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 27, 2020
Khamenei’s special economic privileges.
Since becoming Supreme Leader, Khamenei has been growing an economic empire for himself, beyond the power of any governmental regulation.
Khamenei controls numerous institutions and their subsets, such as The Bonyad-e Mostazafan. This organization was founded shortly after the 1979 revolution and seized control of the resources owned by the Shah’s family and regime affiliates. The Bonyad-e Mostazafan assumed ownership of thousands of houses, including villas, complexes, and agricultural lands.
The full extent of the assets, expenses, and income of this seizure has never been disclosed, under the guise that it is a part of the “secrets of beit-e rahbar” (the leader’s house).
There are several subsets of The Bonyad-e Mostazafan, all of which are significant companies, operating under the radar. They include the following:
- Bonyade Alavi
- Sina Insurance
- The Organization of Agriculture and Livestock
- Persepolis Aviation and Tourism Company
- Zamzam Company
- Iran Meat Company
- Pak Dairy Company
The “Executive Order of Imam Khomeini (EIKO/SETAD)”, another of Khamenei’s personal funds, has also been proven to have billions of dollars’ worth of assets. Reuters evaluated the SETAD’S assets to be around $95 billion in 2010 in-depth reports.
Each of these organizations and their subsets serves the wealthiest of Iranian society, particularly the highest officials of the Iranian regime and the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself. Simultaneously, the Iranian people are subjected to increasing poverty and suffering.
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran) and resistance units within Iran, who have been so instrumental in organizing the protests and breaking the Regime’s atmosphere of fear.
Ali Khamenei has repeatedly admitted that the MEK is responsible for the protests and expressed fear that this could well mean the end of the Regime.
Dr. Mahboubfar, a member of the National #COVID19 task force,said in late April that “the current numbers are twenty times what is being announced by the Health Ministry.#MEK https://t.co/T9h2j6PyeZ via @stopfundamentalism #Iran #FreeIran2020 pic.twitter.com/mVQ16YEEvQ
— MEK Iran (Mujahedin-e Khalq) (@MEK_Iran) August 25, 2020
