Anniversary of 'Bloody Friday in Zahedan'; Merchants Strike in Sistan and Baluchestan

News sources reported the start of strikes in response to the anniversary of 'Bloody Friday in Zahedan' in various cities of Sistan and Baluchestan, including Chabahar, Nobandian, and Zahedan. According to the 'Halosh' website, today, Saturday, October 8, people in Chabahar, Zahedan, Nobandian, and other cities in Sistan and Baluchestan have gone on strike in solidarity with the families seeking justice and in commemoration of the anniversary of Bloody Friday in Zahedan. The same news source published images of 'military forces stationed in the main market of Zahedan at the Rasouli intersection.' On October 3, in a video published by the 'Halosh' news website from Abdul Ghafar Naqshbandi, he referred to the anniversary of 'Bloody Friday' in Zahedan and spoke about the necessity of a nationwide action across all of Baluchestan. The son of Mowlavi Fathi Mohammad Naqshbandi in this video called on scholars and the general public to respond to the anniversary of Bloody Friday in Zahedan by creating a public movement through protests on Friday and nationwide strikes on Saturday. Abdul Ghafar Naqshbandi stated, 'We did not shed blood to compromise; we shed blood to cleanse our land from bloodsuckers.' Yesterday, on the anniversary of 'Bloody Friday in Zahedan,' the 'Hrana' website, the news agency of the 'Human Rights Activists in Iran,' reported that a number of citizens held protest gatherings in various areas of Zahedan, which turned violent due to the intervention of security forces. Yesterday, Shir Ahmad Shirani Naroui, editor-in-chief of the 'Halosh' news agency, stated in an exclusive interview with Voice of America: 'On Friday, October 7, people came to the streets in various cities of Sistan and Baluchestan and confronted government forces.' According to reports from human rights sources, by early today, at least 51 people were arrested on Friday, October 7, 1402, by military and security forces in Zahedan, Khash, and Mirjaveh, and nearly 30 others were 'injured' during the protests yesterday due to the actions of security forces. Mowlavi Abdul Hamid, on the first anniversary of the massacre of protesters in Zahedan, said the government should hear the voices of all the nation and fulfill the people's demands to form a real national unity. The presence of military forces in Zahedan city ahead of the anniversary of Bloody Friday was marked by widespread images of repressive forces in Zahedan coinciding with the anniversary. Thousands of people from Zahedan marched ahead of the first anniversary of Bloody Friday, with Mowlavi Abdul Hamid stating on the anniversary: 'The people demand justice.' Reports indicated shooting at protesters on the anniversary of Bloody Friday in Zahedan, with reports of children being injured. The anniversary of Bloody Friday in Zahedan saw streets blocked by protesters setting fires. The atmosphere of heightened security in Sistan and Baluchestan intensified ahead of the anniversary of Bloody Friday, with Mowlavi Abdul Hamid stating that the solution to Iran's problems lies in 'yielding to the demands of the majority.'