The Karoun Human Rights Organization recently published a poignant grievance letter written by Mostafa Helichi, also known as Jamal, an Ahwazi Arab poet who has been detained since December 2024. Helichi was sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of “forming a group hostile to the regime” and “membership in opposition groups.”
Titled “From the Podium to the Prison,” the letter exposes shocking details regarding the harsh conditions faced by Helichi and other Arab civil and cultural activists in Iran’s Khuzestan province. He details being imprisoned for his “literary ideals” and subjected to what he describes as “the most horrific forms of torture.”
Helichi writes that his arrest and subsequent torture were triggered solely by phone calls from his friend and former cellmate, Mokhtar Alboshokeh, who dialed him from Sheiban Prison. For these friendly interactions, Helichi was hit with heavy charges, including “membership in a separatist group” and “communication with opposition movements abroad,” resulting in a 13-year sentence and a two-year travel ban.
Who is Mostafa Jamal, and Why is He Imprisoned?
Mostafa Helichi is a 35-year-old Ahwazi Arab poet and cultural activist, and the father of a young daughter. Before his 2024 arrest, he worked at a pizzeria to support his family. According to an informed source, his family faces severe economic hardship, and Helichi was the primary breadwinner, also caring for his elderly parents.
