2005 Ahvaz unrest
2005 Ahvaz unrest or 15 April Ahvaz Protests were violent riots, initiated by Iranian Arabs in the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan. The unrest erupted on 15 April 2005, and lasted for 4 days. Initially, the Iranian Interior Ministry stated that only one person had been killed, however an official at a hospital in Ahvaz said that there were between 15 and 20 mortal casualties. Government officials blamed the unrest on Britain, whose troops based just across the border in southern Iraq. Following the unrest, several bombings were carried out in Ahvaz, killing 28 people. In 2006, Iran executed five Arab separatists, convicted of carrying out the bombings in 2005.
| 2005 Ahvaz unrest | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Arab separatism in Khuzestan | |||
Iranian Khuzestan province | |||
| Date | 15–18 April 2005 | ||
| Methods | Demonstrations, riots | ||
| Resulted in | Unrest quelled | ||
| Parties | |||
| Lead figures | |||
No centralized leadership Ali Khamenei | |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death(s) | 1–20 (Iranian sources) 15–50 (external sources) | ||
| Injuries | dozens | ||
| Arrested | hundreds arrested | ||