Iranian-Swedish activist Habib Chaab executed, officials say
Iran has reportedly executed Habib Chaab, a Swedish-Iranian dissident, this Saturday for alleged membership in a terrorist organization. The report comes from the Iranian news agency Mizan, which describes Chaab as the founder of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz, a group blamed for multiple attacks in Iran’s Khuzestan region, including an assault on the Revolutionary Guards in 2018 that left nearly thirty people dead.
Iranian authorities accuse Chaab of links to a broader network intent on destabilizing the Khuzestan province. Official statements claim the group has been responsible for more than 450 deaths in and around Khuzestan since 2005 as part of its bid for regional independence. The government also alleges that Chaab operated in coordination with several international intelligence entities, naming the Central Intelligence Agency, Mossad, and other foreign services involved in espionage and counterintelligence activities in the region.
Chaab reportedly lived in Sweden for fourteen years before vanishing in Turkey in 2020 under unclear circumstances. He later resurfaced in detention within Iran. The court process occurred in mid March, and authorities upheld the death sentence. The Swedish government has publicly stated it is pursuing diplomatic channels to address the case, while Iran regards Chaab as a domestic concern tied to its own sovereignty and security framework.