protecting human and environmental rights. To realise the interconnection between human rights and environmental rights and that the two are subject to violations during times of political instability. We aim to spread awareness of this interconnection and we also shed light on the importance of political stability to maintain legal control over protecting human and environmental rights. 3. Iran Iran has a particular geopolitical position as the meeting point between three Asian fronts, (West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia) and Iran’s geographical position also separates the peninsula from Central Asia as well as its mountains (Zagros) which prevent the cold fronts coming from Siberia from reaching the Arab peninsula and the north winds coming from it divert the pollution from Iranian factories onto the south west of the Arabian gulf. In short, the geopolitical position of Iran influences the region both politically and in terms of climate. Iran doesn’t only have regional power but also has power in terms of international energy security and the global economy due to its large reserves of oil and natural gas. It has the second largest reserves of natural gas in the world and the fourth largest confirmed reserves of petrol. Iran has a population of more than 75 million, most of them Muslims (Shia and Sunni). It also has Christian and Jewish minorities as well as Baha’is, Mandeans, Zoroastrians and Yarsanis as does Iraq amongst its population. In addition to the Persian majority, there are Kurds and Turkmen and Baluchis and Armenians and Arabs and they are the subject of this paper. The inhabitants of Iran speak more than 110 languages, the most prevalent after Farsi being Azerbaijani, Kurdish, Turkmenistani, Balochi, Sistani and Bandari (Gulf), Hebrew as well as Arabic. 4. Al Ahwaz It is the regional capital of Khuzestan ‘the land of castles’ which was known as Arabistan ‘land of the Arabs’ before Britain divided it up to lessen the official influence on the region from Iraq and to incorporate it into Iran. It is now an Arab region occupying the heart of Iran (Western Central) geographically and economically (the province produces 70% of Iran’s oil resources). The Zagros mountains separate it from the rest of the Iranian Islamic Republic. This natural separation has played an important role throughout history in the cultural differences between the people who live to the East of it (the Persians) and those who live to its West (the Arabs). [Under the larger map] ‘The map of the province of Al Ahwaz’ [Under the smaller map] ‘The geographical position of the province of Al Ahwaz’ In spite of most of the Arabs in Khuzestan being Shia, the Shia of this province suffer from the despotic policies of clerical rule and from oppression of this province, whether intentional or not, of both the environment and the people in equal measure. 5. Human and Environmental Violence in Arabistan/ Khuzestan From the previous presentation on the demography of the Iranian Islamic Republic we note that it is amongst several countries with deep rooted religious sectarian roots across