Errant Officials in the 'Bloody Friday' Case of Zahedan Acquitted of 'Retribution'

While the judiciary of the Islamic Republic began executing a number of protesters shortly after the nationwide protests of 2022, judicial officials on Sunday, January 13, acquitted the errant officials in the case of the 'Bloody Friday' in Zahedan, where dozens of protesters were killed by government forces. The head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan province stated that the errant officials were acquitted of 'retribution' and sentenced to '10 years in prison,' while the families of the deceased would receive blood money. The protests followed the Friday prayers on October 1, 2022, during which dozens of protesters were killed by the Islamic Republic's security forces, coinciding with reports of the sexual assault of a teenage Baluch girl by a police commander, which occurred almost simultaneously with the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police. The provincial security council acknowledged the deaths of 35 citizens. According to the state-run news agency ISNA on Sunday, January 13, Ali Mohammadi Rad, the head of the judiciary in Sistan and Baluchestan, stated that more than two years after the incident, blood money had been paid to the families of the deceased and the officials found guilty were each sentenced to '10 years in prison.' Mohammadi Rad attributed the prolonged handling of the case to 'the fear of the people,' stating that 'some people were afraid to approach the judiciary to file complaints,' and some were 'stateless individuals and Afghan nationals who could not provide inheritance certificates, and the heirs of the deceased were unknown, which slowed down the process.' This judicial official claimed that 'the charge against the officials was considered intentional murder,' but since it was not determined who exactly shot these individuals and what weapon was used, blood money was determined instead of retribution, and 'the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison' was issued for the officials. Mohammadi Rad's statements do not clarify why, after more than two years, details such as the weapons used to shoot at the protesters remain unknown. The sentencing of prison terms and the payment of blood money to government officials accused of shooting at protesters in Zahedan comes after two years and three months, while the judiciary executed Mohsen Shekari, a 23-year-old protester, on December 7, 2022, on charges of 'blocking a street' and allegedly injuring an officer, an action described by a U.S. State Department spokesperson as extremely cruel and reminiscent of prehistoric times. Additionally, in connection with the murder of a Basij member named Rouhollah Ajmiyan in Karaj during the suppression of the 2022 protests, Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Mehdi Karami were executed, even though both denied the charges against them; however, despite the fact that the main perpetrator in that case was also unknown, two protesters were executed by government agents, and several others remain imprisoned under sentences of fifteen years in prison and exile. The protests on October 1 in Zahedan were sparked by the publication of a call related to the news of the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl by the police commander of Chabahar, coinciding with widespread protests in Iran seeking justice for the nationwide killing of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police. The New York Times described the incident of government forces shooting at protesters in Zahedan as a 'bloody suppression' of worshippers and a 'massacre.' Three days prior, Abdul Ghaffar Naqshbandi, the former Sunni Friday prayer leader of Rask, was the first Sunni cleric to confirm the news of the assault by Ibrahim Kuchakzai, the then police commander of Chabahar, on a 15-year-old Baluch girl, calling for punishment of this police official. However, less than a year later, this Sunni cleric was arrested on charges such as 'disturbing public opinion,' 'acting against national security,' and 'illegally occupying national lands' by government agents. Prince Reza Pahlavi, on the second anniversary of the killing of dozens of citizens by Islamic Republic agents in Zahedan, stated that the event of 'Bloody Friday' in Zahedan will not be erased from the memory of Iranian history, and the memory of the victims of that day is 'a fire that will never be extinguished,' and 'the Iranian nation will undoubtedly bring to trial in a national and fair court the wrongdoers who were the perpetrators and instigators of that crime.' Additionally, Abdul Hamid Ismailzahi, known as Molavi Abdul Hamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, also held Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, responsible for this 'crime.'