Anniversary of Bloody Friday: Over Thirty Injured and Dozens Arrested; Interview with the Editor of Halvash News Agency

On the anniversary of the 'Bloody Friday of Zahedan' and the attack by government forces on protesters in various cities of Sistan and Baluchestan province, sources from Voice of America reported that at least 31 protesters were injured, some of whom are children. Shir Ahmad Shirani Naroui, the editor of Halvash news agency, stated in an exclusive interview with Voice of America: 'On Friday, October 7, people came out into the streets in various cities of Sistan and Baluchestan and confronted government forces, and in Zahedan, despite the onset of night, protesters are still in the streets.' He added: 'Government forces and plainclothes agents raided the homes of Zahedan citizens at night, using insults and beatings to arrest a number of people en masse.' Shir Ahmad Shirani Naroui described the atmosphere in Zahedan on Friday as heavily secured and noted: 'After people left Makki Mosque and peaceful protests began, government forces attacked the protesting people with stones, shotguns, and even military-grade bullets and heavy machine guns, and there is still no news on the potential death toll from this incident.' The editor of Halvash news agency further told Voice of America: 'The atmosphere in Zahedan and other cities in the province remains heavily secured, and we expect that in the coming hours, with the completion of reports, the number of injured from the peaceful protests on Friday, October 7, 1402, in Sistan and Baluchestan province will increase.' The 'Protest Fridays' in Zahedan began after security forces killed dozens of worshippers in the city on Friday, October 8, 1401. Since then, this day has become known as 'Bloody Friday of Zahedan.' Since then, Molavi Abdolhamid has criticized officials, institutions, and policies of the Islamic Republic in his Friday prayer sermons every week. In the first anniversary of the massacre of protesters in Zahedan, Molavi Abdolhamid called for the government to hear the voices of all people and to address their demands to form a genuine national unity. The Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, without naming the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, addressed Iranian government officials, saying: 'Address national demands. Do not leave the demands of all the people of Iran unanswered. We are also part of the people of Iran. We are willing to ask the families of the martyrs of Zahedan to give their consent. The people of this region may not be educated, but they have wisdom and analytical power. These people are forgiving. They are even willing to give up their rights if you solve the problems of all the people of Iran.'