Three Arab media activists arrested in Ahvaz after reporting on student’s self-immolation
Hengaw – Sunday, November 9, 2025
Security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have arrested three Arab media activists in Ahvaz, Hassan Salamat, Javad Saedi, and Seyed Sadegh Al-Boushokeh, for reporting on the self-immolation of Ahmad Baldi, a 20-year-old student from Ahvaz.
According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, during the past week the three well-known Arab media activists, Salamat, Saedi, and Al-Boushokeh, were detained by security forces in Ahvaz.
Sources informed Hengaw that the main reason for their arrest was their reporting on the self-immolation of Ahmad Baldi, publishing updates about his critical health condition, and exposing the humiliating treatment of his family by municipal agents.
The journalists had previously used their social media platforms to highlight the violent behaviour of Ahvaz municipality enforcement officers, the authorities’ neglect of Baldi’s condition, and the loss of his family’s only source of income. Their posts prompted an immediate reaction from security institutions, leading to their arrests.
Ahmad Baldi (Abdolsaeedi), a 20-year-old student from Ahvaz, set himself on fire on Sunday, November 2, 2025, in protest against the demolition of his family’s stall, which was their only source of livelihood, by municipal agents. He is currently hospitalised in Taleghani Hospital in Ahvaz with burns covering about 70 percent of his body.
Security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have surrounded the hospital, preventing journalists and citizens from contacting Baldi’s family.
Following these arrests, the Ahvaz Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement threatening media activists and citizens with “severe punishment” for reporting on the case.
These arrests exemplify systematic repression, ethnic discrimination, and widespread human rights violations in Iran, once again heightening concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression and the growing security pressure on Arab journalists and activists.
