Statement from 47 Human Rights and Political Organizations Condemning the Bloody Fridays of Zahedan and Khash

Nearly 50 human rights and political organizations, on the second anniversary of the 'Bloody Friday' in Zahedan, issued a joint statement to the international community, detailing the killings by the Islamic Republic in the cities of Zahedan and Khash in the autumn of 2022, and calling for accountability of the Iranian government for these 'crimes'. According to the news site 'Kurdpa', this statement, prepared by a group of activists and human rights defenders from Balochistan, urges the international community to hold the 'Islamic Republic accountable for its ongoing human rights violations against the people of Balochistan'. The statement mentions that 'the Islamic Republic attempted to silence protests by paying insignificant blood money to the families of victims and the injured, but it largely failed in its efforts to divert them from pursuing justice.' It further adds that after the efforts of the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, Molavi Abdolhamid, local religious scholars, and community elders, a judicial case was opened to investigate the Bloody Friday incident. According to these activists and human rights defenders, 'however, the security forces of the Islamic Republic prevented the presence of independent and qualified lawyers to defend the victims, and without holding a transparent and fair trial, the rights of the victims and their complaints remain unanswered to this day.' The statement also cites instances of intensified repression by the Islamic Republic in Sistan and Baluchestan and widespread human rights violations over the past two years, including 'the ongoing violent suppression of protests' and 'the killing of at least 18 more protesters after Bloody Friday'. It also refers to 'group rapes of detained girls and women protesters in the detention centers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after the events of Bloody Friday in Zahedan', 'the continuous disruption of internet and communication networks, especially during weekly protests in Zahedan', and 'harassment and threats against social activists and charity workers who discreetly assist victims and their families'. The signatories of the statement also wrote: 'Blind assassinations, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances of citizens have spread terror throughout the region', criticizing the 'deprivation of detained protesters of their minimum civil and human rights and lack of access to independent legal representation'. The 47 human rights and political organizations that signed the statement also criticized the 'threats of assassination and abduction of Baloch human rights activists in exile by the regime'. They also pointed to the 'aggressive approach of security and judicial officials leading to increased abuses, including the rise in executions of Baloch prisoners for various alleged crimes and the harassment of Baloch individuals without identity documents'. The statement calls on human rights organizations, the UN Secretary-General, British officials, and the European Union to take serious actions to prevent repression and human rights violations by the Islamic Republic. The statement was signed by organizations including the Baloch Activists Campaign, Kurdish Women Against Gender Discrimination, Hana Human Rights Organization, Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners in Iran, Kurdpa Human Rights Organization, Defense of Free Information, Six Color (Network of Iranian Lesbians and Transgender Individuals), Iran Human Rights Organization, Hengaw, the Human Rights Defenders Center, and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.