By Pishtaz | 2023-10-02

A year after some 100 protesters lost their lives in a crackdown in the provincial capital of Sistan and Baluchestan known as "Bloody Friday," violence flared again during a Friday (September 29) protest marking the anniversary.

The Iranian regime's security forces have consistently cracked down on protesters who over the past year gathered each week after Friday prayers in the southeastern city of Zahedan, which has a majority Sunni Baluch population.

They gathered in larger numbers on Friday to mark the first anniversary of the September 30, 2022, "Bloody Friday" violence.

On that day, after using tear gas, the regime's security forces opened fire on the mostly Baluch protesters who were demonstrating following the Friday prayers in Zahedan, killing, injuring and detaining dozens.

Some 100 Baluch protesters lost their lives, among them at least 15 minors.

Last year, Zahedan demonstrations began in tandem with "Women, Life, Freedom" protests throughout Iran, following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the regime's "morality police."

Protests in the city expanded, fueled by reports that a teenage Baluch girl had been raped in custody by a commander of the Law Enforcement Forces (LEF).

The regime responded with a heavy security crackdown.

A second 'Bloody Friday'

This year, social media users in Zahedan reported a heavy presence of LEF and military forces in the city's streets and squares on Saturday night.

Within the space of 72 hours, between Friday and Sunday, security forces made at least 216 arrests, according to Haalvsh, a Baluch rights advocacy group and website that covers events in Sistan and Baluchestan.

Of this number, 32 of the detainees are under the age of 18, Haalvsh reported, adding that they have been subjected to violence and beatings in custody.

Some said security forces who were standing guard Friday while prayers were being held, in anticipation of protests, even aimed at people who were praying and shot tear gas canisters or bullets directly at them.

These reports have not been independently verified, however.

As more people demonstrated and chanted slogans in the city and surrounding villages, security forces, some reportedly in plainclothes, became harsher and opened fire on the crowds when they faced resistance.

On Friday alone, at least 29 people were injured, including eight minors.

The regime's forces besieged the crowds in three parts of the city as people continued to protest until after dark, when they built fires to keep warm.

A number of protesters later set tires on fire and closed several streets.

Dissident prayer leader

While protests over Amini's death gradually died down in many other parts of Iran, they continued in Zahedan each week.

In response, the regime has disrupted internet connection in the city every Friday.

Friday prayers in Zahedan are led by the outspoken, dissident Sunni cleric Abdol-Hamid Ismaeelzahi, known as Molavi Abdol-Hamid, who has consistently criticized the Islamic Republic's actions in his sermons over the past year.

He has criticized the brutal crackdown on Iranian protesters, harsh rules, and particularly the government's neglect of Sistan and Baluchestan and its people, who are double minorities -- both religiously and ethnically.

Although he is a proponent of Sunni-Shia unity, Ismaeelzahi has been harshly criticized by some hardline media outlets in Iran, including the ultraconservative Kayhan daily, which is close to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

Some have been concerned about Ismaeelzahi's safety and some even fear for his life, worrying that agents of the regime might target him.

Ismaeelzahi has been speaking openly about the government's shortcomings in his province, focusing in his sermons on the rights of fellow Baluch and Sunni residents, as well as women's rights and freedoms in general.

In a sermon delivered September 22, the cleric criticized the Iranian regime's mandatory hair coverage rules for women, amplifying the voices of Iranians opposed to "draconian" new legislation.

A Baluch teacher who lives in Zahedan told Pishtaz he has been protesting every Friday since last year. He said Ismaeelzahi has a major following in Zahedan.

"Our community holds Molavi Abdol-Hamid in high regard. He is an inspiration to us, and his bravery and solid sermons guide us. We have real respect for him," said the teacher, who wished to remain unnamed.

"Zahedan faces a myriad of problems, and has been for years," he said.

"Other parts of the province are even worse off than those of us who live in the provincial capital. We believe the regime has always considered us as third-class citizens, or even lower than that, if that is possible," he said.

Neglected Baluch population

For decades, Iran's Baluch population has been suffering from poverty, unemployment, unsuitable living conditions and the scourge of illegal drugs.

They have been demanding their rights and protesting against the regime's neglect -- more actively in the past year -- signaling the opposition of much of the Baluch community to the regime's political and cultural oppression.

Sistan and Baluchestan has been grappling with a drug problem for years. Due to its proximity to Pakistan and Afghanistan, smuggling and selling illegal drugs are prevalent in the province, as are drug use and addiction.

The regime metes out severe punishment for those convicted of drug charges.

Iran Human Rights has reported that the province had the most executions of any Iranian province in 2022 (30% of the nationwide total), with at least 174 Baluch citizens put to death.

This year, several rights organizations reported that at least 156 Baluches were executed in Sistan and Baluchetan's prisons between June 24 and August 20.

As rights organizations publish only the numbers they are able to verify, the real numbers may be higher.

The Iranian government does not make the number of imprisoned or executed individuals public, so rights organizations are able to verify only the deaths when they receive notification directly from the families.

It has been verified, however, that 20 Baluches -- including two women -- were executed between April 30 and May 4 of this year, mostly due to drug offenses.

Killing Baluches "does not change our ethnicity, customs, clothes or language," the Baluch teacher told Pishtaz.

"We will resist and persist."