Syria arrests refugees from Iran, Human Rights Watch requests release

Syrian authorities recently arrested six ethnically Arab men who were refugees from Iran, according to Reuters Foundation AlertNet. Of the six men, five are officially recognized as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and all were in Syria legally. The cause for their arrests is unknown, and neither family members nor human rights groups have been able to find out more about the whereabouts of the men or the reason for their arrests. The men were arrested on March 5.

Since a series of attacks began in the Iranian city of Ahvaz in 2005 and 2006, Iranian Arabs have been persecuted in the region, with 12 being executed and an additional 13 waiting for execution.

Last May, Syria detained and sent back four Iranians of Arab ethnicity to Khuzistan, Iran. These four are currently being held by the Iranian government and remain at risk of being executed.

To read this article, click here.