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2005 Ahvaz unrest
Unrest broke out in Ahvaz following circulation of a disputed letter proposing demographic changes to Khuzestan, followed by a bombing campaign claimed by an Ahwazi separatist group.
What happened
Unrest began in Ahvaz on 15 April 2005 after a letter began circulating that week, attributed to an adviser in the office of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, proposing measures to reduce the proportion of Arabs in Khuzestan; the letter's authenticity was denied by the government and disputed among analysts.[1]
The Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA), founded in 1999, claimed responsibility for a series of bombings targeting oil installations and government facilities in Khuzestan in 2005-2006.[2]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: Unrest began in Ahvaz on 15 April 2005 after a letter began circulating that week, attributed to an adviser in the office of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, proposing measures to reduce the proportion of Arabs in Khuzestan province, including population transfers and the replacement of Arabic place names; the letter's authenticity was denied by the government and disputed among analysts, some of whom suggested it was fabricated for domestic political purposes ahead of the 2005 presidential election. Rioting followed in several Khuzestan cities.
- 2005 Ahvaz unrest (Wikipedia) link, Trigger letter and unrest sections. Source record
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2.
Claim: The Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA), a separatist organization based in Denmark and the Netherlands seeking an independent state in Khuzestan, was founded in 1999 and claimed responsibility for a series of bombings targeting oil installations and government facilities in Khuzestan in 2005-2006.
- Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (Wikipedia) link, Founding and 2005-2006 bombings sections. Source record