Amnesty International Criticizes 'Brutal Suppression' of Protesters in Zahedan by Islamic Republic Forces

On Thursday, October 26, Amnesty International issued a statement condemning a 'new wave of brutal attacks against protesters and minority Baloch worshippers' in Zahedan by Islamic Republic forces during last Friday's protests. The organization noted the peaceful nature of the weekly demonstrations, including the one on October 20, and stated that security forces resorted to the unlawful use of tear gas and water cannons, severely beating the protesters. Amnesty International also highlighted 'arbitrary mass arrests, enforced disappearances, and other forms of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment' against peaceful protesters, urging Iranian authorities to refrain from using unlawful force during the upcoming protests on November 3 and to respect the right to peaceful assembly. The statement indicated that collected evidence, including eyewitness interviews and video footage, 'paints a dark picture of violence and brutality against thousands of peaceful worshippers and protesters, including 10-year-old children.' Amnesty International added: 'Hundreds of people, including dozens of children, were violently arrested, many of whom have gone missing. Detained children and adults have faced torture and other mistreatment, including severe beatings and injuries from close-range paintball shots.' Diana Tahavi, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, stated: 'Authorities have intensified brutal repression to prevent the weekly gatherings of Baloch protesters in Zahedan,' adding that 'governments worldwide must immediately call on Iranian authorities to stop the unlawful use of force and firearms against peaceful protesters, halt the torture of detainees, and release children and all others detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights.' She further noted: 'The systematic impunity of human rights violators in Iran, which has enabled a new wave of torture against protesters, including children, underscores the necessity for governments worldwide to initiate criminal investigations into the crimes committed by Iranian officials under the principle of universal jurisdiction and international law.' In its statement, Amnesty International quoted eyewitnesses who reported that as Friday prayers concluded on October 20, security forces threw stones at thousands of worshippers leaving the Zahedan prayer hall peacefully. Eyewitnesses reported that after about a thousand protesters left the prayer site and began their peaceful march on Razavi Street, security forces surrounded the remaining worshippers exiting the prayer hall and ordered them to 'wait for calm to return.' According to these witnesses, moments later, security forces unlawfully fired tear gas and, in some cases, shot at peaceful protesters with pellet guns. One eyewitness told Amnesty International that they saw several teenagers hit by pellet shots to their heads and chests. The statement noted that a small minority of protesters responded to the crackdown by throwing stones. The organization continued in its statement that protesters dispersed after the security forces fired shots and used a water cannon spraying a yellow liquid towards them. According to the report, this colored liquid facilitated the identification and arrest of protesters. Meanwhile, security forces chased fleeing protesters, beating and arresting anyone they could catch, including children. One eyewitness told Amnesty International: 'They were beating 10-year-olds, young people, and the elderly with batons. Officers dragged protesters across the asphalt, and several were beaten with fists and kicks.' Eyewitnesses also told the human rights organization that security forces fired tear gas inside the Makki Grand Mosque after hundreds of peaceful protesters sought refuge there, violently arresting the mosque's entrance guards. They added that security forces continued arrests even after the protesters had dispersed, targeting individuals suspected of participating in the protests and those who filmed the crackdown from a nearby residential building. Amnesty International reported that the security forces involved in this crackdown included special police units, the Revolutionary Guards in uniform, and plainclothes agents, some of whom wore traditional Baloch clothing and masks. The statement noted that Amnesty International's crisis evidence lab examined 32 videos and photos from October 20, confirming eyewitness accounts. Five videos and photos showed young children with open wounds or other injuries on their heads. Amnesty International reported that detainees were initially transferred to the 'Imam Ali Sports Complex,' where they were severely beaten, and then moved to detention centers run by the Revolutionary Guards, Ministry of Intelligence, or police. According to the report, detainees faced further torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. Amnesty International added that some detainees were later released, some were transferred to Zahedan Central Prison, and some detained children were handed over to a juvenile correctional facility. A relative of the detainees, who was allowed to visit two detained children, told Amnesty International, 'While one of them was crying restlessly, they explained to him how they had been severely beaten with batons.' Another family member of the detainees told Amnesty International that 'the prosecutors ordered the detention of their two children for 30 days but refused to disclose the location where their children are held.' Amnesty International stated that it has obtained accounts indicating widespread torture and other mistreatment of detainees, including children, during their transfer to detention centers and inside them. A relative of a released adult prisoner said, 'Security forces repeatedly beat prisoners on the head, face, and body with fists and kicks and assaulted them,' adding, 'Many of the detainees, including small children, suffered fractures. One child's cheek was torn and bleeding, but instead of taking him to a medical facility, they left him on the street.' The organization emphasized that 'the severity of the recent crackdown is linked to intensified efforts to suppress weekly protests in Zahedan.' It noted that 'local residents are concerned that Iranian authorities are preparing for further bloodshed.' In the statement, a woman emphasized to Amnesty International the need to ensure that the voices of Baloch protesters are heard, saying, 'Make sure to convey our message. We have been violently suppressed for a whole year. We are in a bad situation; something terrible could happen to us during our protests on Fridays at any moment.' Amnesty International called on the international community to pressure Iranian authorities to grant unconditional access to the UN fact-finding committee to investigate human rights violations related to the 'Women, Life, Freedom' uprising. Iranian officials have repeatedly opposed this issue.