Death of 5-Year-Old Child in Iranshahr Following 'Police Shooting'; Police: We Will Investigate

Baluch media, including the Halosh website, have reported that the shooting by security forces at a vehicle in Iranshahr led to the death of a five-year-old child named Youssef Shohlibar, and his pregnant mother was also shot. Eyewitnesses reported that the special forces shot at a vehicle in the Chah Jamal area of Iranshahr on the evening of Monday, March 6, resulting in five bullets hitting the child, who was transferred to the hospital and died. However, Mohammad Reza Ishaqi, the police chief of Sistan and Baluchestan, described the shooting as being carried out by 'unknown individuals' and stated that a 'special order' has been given to investigate the incident. In videos released by the child's relatives, they can be seen protesting the lack of doctors to assist the injured child in the Iranshahr hospital, with one stating: 'This is my child; Israel did not kill him, the forces of the Islamic Republic killed him... Keep saying Israel is a child killer.' The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, affiliated with the IRGC, denied that the child's mother had gone into a coma, stating she is hospitalized; this mother lost her fetus after being shot. Baluch media also reported on the pressure from 'military and security organizations' on the child's family to deny the special forces' shooting. According to these media, Ramin Shohlibar, the driver of the vehicle who is related to the child and mother, was initially detained and released on bail after being beaten; however, Fars and Tasnim denied his arrest, referencing images of him at the child's funeral. Youssef Shohlibar was buried on Wednesday in Iranshahr. Baluch human rights media have repeatedly criticized the 'arbitrary behavior and shootings by military and police forces' in Sistan and Baluchestan. The shooting by security forces at protesters in Zahedan on October 1, 2022, known as 'Bloody Friday of Zahedan,' left around one hundred dead.