Young Ahwazi Arab Worker From Falahiya Set Himself On Fire After Denied Salary For Six Months

Ismaiel Shawardi (Khanafrah), 30, married, from Falahiya, and a worker at Shadegan municipality set himself on fire on 27 May 2016 after being denied salary for six continuous months.

Ismaiel Shawardi, 30

The sole breadwinner was under enormous financial pressure and could not provide for his family. He and other workers went on strike over late payments but to no avail as officials refused to meet them. He can be seen in the picture below holding a banner which reads:

"We, the municipality workers, demand

our delayed four months salaries”

 Suicide among Ahwazi Arabs, especially young male, has dramatically increased in the last recent years. Families and activists believe severe socioeconomic deprivation and systematic racial discrimination against Ahwazi Arabs particularly in employment are the main factors:

Ismaeil Shawardi at protest
 on 17 Feb. 2016

Younes Asakereh, 34, an Ahwazi Arab street vendor from Mohammara (Khoramshahr) set himself on fire on March 13, 2015, to protest municipal authorities’ removal and destruction of his fruit stand. His death triggered massive protests thorough the province.  Omid Rashdi Amir, 36, from Khalafiya (Ramshir) died on 23 September 2015 after setting himself ablaze inside the trade union building after being sacked

Mahdi Mojaddam, 32, from Chahar Sad Dastgah, Ahwaz, died on 16 April 2011 of self-immolation outside the governor-general office, he passed two days later.

Hassan Salemi, from Ahwaz, married with one child killed end his life because of unemployment and poverty.


Teenager from Maashour,

 cut his wrist next to his late father’s

 grave because of extreme

 poverty and deprivation.

4 October 2015, a teenager from Maashour, cut his wrist next to his late father’s grave because of extreme poverty and deprivation.

Hamid Sharifi from Ain2, Ahwaz, hanged himself on 10 September 2014 because have had no source of income.

Mortada Haydari, 17, killed himself on 4 May 2015 because of poverty and unemployment.

Mahdi Afrawi, vendor at Naderi street, died on 1 May after throwing herself in front of train to protest his stall's confiscation by the authorities as he and his family had no other source of income