Intensification Of Suppression Of Baloch After The Presidential Election In Iran

The brutal suppression, executions, forced confessions, disappearances; harassment and mistreatment of ordinary Baloch people have intensified since the Iranian presidential election in June last year

                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

Intensification of Suppression of Baloch after the Presidential Election in Iran

 

Background

The brutal suppression, executions, forced confessions, disappearances; harassment and mistreatment of ordinary Baloch people have intensified since the Iranian presidential election in June last year. Here is a short summery of human rights violations by the Iranian state in Balochistan.

 

 Killing and arrest of demonstrators in Zahedan

 While Iran was preparing for its presidential election, the security and special task forces, led by the Revolutionary Guards, commenced a military show of force in Balochistan. In this military manoeuvre several innocent people in villages were harassed and there were several extra-judicial arrests and killings.

 

In the aftermath of this military operation a bomb exploded in a “Hosseinieh” adjacent to a Shi’a mosque which was used by the Baseej and the Revolutionary Guards, in Zahedan, the capital of Balochistan, Iran. (Hosseinieh is a place where Shi’a Muslims gather to morn Hossein, grandson of prophet Mohammad). The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Popular Resistance Movement of Iran (Jundollah).

 

After this incident ‘Baseej’ a paramilitary forces backed by the security forces attacked Baloch people’s property killing 10 innocent ethnic Baloch in Zahedan.

Baloch people in Zahedan protested against the organized criminal attacks on Baloch people and their property. According to Fars News, a semi-official news agency, 150 Baloch people were arrested during this demonstration.

 

Three people were hanged on Sunday 31 May, three days after the above-mentioned explosion in Zahedan. They had been charged for planning the attack and carrying out the explosion. Reliable Baloch sources wrote that those people had been in prison for several months. This revelation forced the regime to admit that those people had been in prison before the explosion incident. This indicates that the regime takes revenge against innocent and already jailed prisoners.

 

The following is a quote  from the BBC’s Persian language service: “Iranian Official News Agency (IRNA) has quoted a judge, whose name has not been disclosed, saying that the executed were not involved directly in the explosion but they had been arrested two days before the explosion occurred. However, the accused were interrogated and trialled the night between the 30 and 31 of May, and were executed immediately after being charged for facilitating the explosion[1]”.

 

The executions were also commented on by Amnesty International: “Less than 48 hours after the bombing, three men were hanged in public near the site of the attack amid claims that they were responsible. Later comments clarified that the three men had been in detention at the time of the bombing, but that they had "confessed" to providing the explosives used in the bombing. Further unrest broke out afterwards with up to ten people were killed and dozens were arrested.”

 

After the presidential election in June 2009 and arrest of hundreds of demonstrators it was feared that demonstrators would be executed immediately to intimidate and terrorise people so they would not take part in demonstrations. The regime felt that the arrest and killing of people in Tehran would spark an internal and international outcry, in contrast to the execution of Baloch which is not even mentioned in the international media, and would fulfil its purpose to terrorise and prevent people from joining protests against the regime, in other parts of country.

 

To terrorise demonstrators in Tehran,19 Baloch prisoners were executed after short trials in closed courts without having access to defence lawyers, in Zahedan, convicted among other crimes also as  “Mohabareh” of “enmity against God”.  IRNA quoted Ebrahim Hamidi, Chief Justice of Sistan and Balochistan, saying that 13 people were on trial charged for drug smuggling, hostage taking and rebellion against the government[2]. According to “Balochistan Human Rights Activists” one of the persons who was being trailed is Mulavi Abed Goramzahi. Mulavi Goramzahi along with four other religious scholars and activists had been arrested on 16 June 2008[3]. One of those arrested, Mulavi Salahulding, was executed on 3  March 2009.

 

According to “Hamoun” TV, a local government TV station in Balochistan, two persons were hanged in the central jail of Zahedan on 20 June. They were charged for drug smuggling and were trialled in closed court sessions without having access to defence lawyers. Furthermore, their names were not announced as is common in cases where the victims are political prisoners but have been tried as criminals.

 

Twenty people were hanged in Rajai Prison in the city of Karaj on 2 June 2009. According to Radio Balochi FM, three of them (named Jamshed Khaleghdadi son of Gholam Mohammad, Najibullah Dardkashedeh Son of Mullah Safar and Khudabaksh Rigi) were ethnic Baloch [4].

 

Amnesty International urged the Iranian government to halt the public executions, scheduled for Tuesday 14 July.  14 of the victims were alleged members of Jondallah. "The 14 did not receive a fair trial and these executions must not go ahead," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Program. "The Iranian authorities must abide by their international obligations to uphold human rights” [5]. However, the Iranian regime did not pay any attention to warnings from Amnesty International and executed 13 of the young Baloch men on Tuesday 14 of July 2009 in a prison in the city of Zahedan.

 

On 22 of January a 26 year-old young Baloch, Alah Nezar Shohlibor, was executed without a fair trial and access to defence lawyer. He was tried as “an enemy of god and enemy of the State”.  He was executed in the Balochi city of Khash.

 

On 23 of January  2010 in Zahedan a 35 year-old man, Khudayar Rahmatzahi, was executed after two years’ imprisonment. He had been arrested for having contact with an anti-government Sunni religious organisation. He was denied a fair trial and did not had access to a defence lawyer.

 

A tribal chief, Mr Haji Dadulah Muradzahi, was executed on 20 February 2010. His body was given to his family for burial, according to the Sunni news website: torture signs were visible on his body, especially in his legs and feet which had been drilled with drilling machines; this method of torture is often used against Baloch prisoners. Mr Muradzahi was interrogated without a defence lawyer. During interrogation he was accused of rebellion against the government although he had never advocated violence against the government. It should be emphasized that the Iranian government does not normally give the body of victims to their families, due to the signs of torture on the dead body. In this case the body was returned to his family which resulted in a large funeral where people from different parts of Balochistan took part to show their solidarity with the family and protest against the regime.

Amnesty International in its latest report on Iran wrote “One hundred and twelve people were put to death in the eight weeks between the June election and the re-inauguration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in early August - almost a third of the total for the entire year”. Thirty three of them were Baloch.

 

Of Iran’s more than 75 million people, Baloch make up only four million. Baloch are overrepresented when it concerns the number of executions and other incidents which result in the death of civilians by Iranian security forces[6]. A closer consideration indicates that more than one third of the people executed in Iran are Baloch.

 

Three times the Iranian regime has announced that Mr Abdul Hameed Rigi, either has been executed or will be executed. The Iranian government played with a man’s life and put his family in constant disarray and agony. This act shows the unlimited desire of hatreds of the Iranian government towards the Baloch people. Mr Rigi was brought to TV and forced to make confession many times. For this preposes Iranian government used its propaganda media like Press TV and Al Alam mostly to reach the international and Arab audience to claim that US is behind the unrest and resistance, in Balochistan.

 

After Abdul Maliks Rigi’s the former leader of Jondullah and younger brother of Abdul Hamid Rigi was arrested, regime saw no use for Abdul Hamid Rigi, he was executed on 24 May 2010. In connection with his execution regime’s controlled TV’s and newspaper broadcasted Abdul Malik Rigi’s confession that Nato have contacted him and he has been in the US bases in the Afghanistan. Here it is to emphasis that Mr Malik has also under physical and psychological torture been forced to make confessions, many times, since his arrest in 23 February 2010. They are concerns that his confession will be used to arrest, torture and execute more Baloch.

 

Waiting for execution

According to Human Rights Activists of Iran (IHRV) there are many Baloch that have been sentenced to death and are waiting to be executed. According to IHRV, “there is no accurate information on the number and identities of the tens of Baluchi political prisoners in southeastern Iran.  As a result of the tight grip maintained by Intelligence services on this region and the absence of civil rights institutions, this region is among a number of areas which is suffering from a lack of surveillance by human rights organizations”. Some of their names are[7]:

 

1- Abdul Rahman Naroi son of Khaleghdad

2- Abdul Hamid Rigi son of Azad Rigi, [Was executed on 24 may 2010]

3- AbdulJalil rigi son of Jan mohammad

4- Nasser Shahbakhsh

5- Mahmood Rigi Farzand Nizar

6- Gul Mohammad Shahbaksh (Son of Dadulah)

7- Din Mohmmad Shahbaskh Son of Khudadad

8- Ubidulah Shahbakhsh son of Haji Mohammad

9- Khalid Shabakhsh Son of Yousef

10- Mehrulah Shabakhsh Son of Haji Faghir

11- Atahullah Shabakhsh son of Vali Mohammad

12- Amanulah Shahbakhsh Son of Din Mohammad

13- Rahman Shahbakhsh son of Noor Mohammad

14- Nasser Shahbakhash

 

Irna, semi official news agency reported on the 31 May that Zahidan General persecutor Mr. Mohammad Marzbeh has said that two of the arrested in the May and June last year have been convicted to death and 11 of them have been sentenced to prison. He did not mentioned the name of the persons, who have been convicted to death and those sentenced to prison [8].

 

According to Human Right and Democracy Activist in  Iranian a Baloch Political prisoner, Abas Badfar, who have been arrested in Zahidan in Balochistan in December 2009 and been transferred to notorious Evin Prison where he is being tortured. Mr. Abas Badfar has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, without access to defense lawyer.   

 

Suspicious deaths in Prison in Balochistan

In the same report to Harana News agency, writes that, a Baloch political prisoner, Shir Mohamad Shahbakhsh died in prison due to bad treatment he received there, in contact with the Harana news agency family confirmed his death in prison and said that the body of deceased has not been given to family, it has been buried in an unknown place. They have only been informed of his death [9].

 

Another political prisoner Shahpour Shahbakhsh son of Gholam Ali also died in the same prison, according to family the signs of torture were obvious in his body. Harina news emphasis that Zahidan prison (Zindane Eilahat zahadan) has the worst condition for the prisoner and it treats its prisoner notoriously.

 

Arrest of Teachers

Twenty two Baloch teachers have been arrested in the Balochistan cities of Sarawan and Zahedan on 11 and 12  August 2009. After their arrest the teachers were transferred to unknown locations. Since then some of the families have been denied any information about their loved ones.

 

Furthermore, the families have been harassed, threatened to be detained and asked to keep silent about the arrest of their loved ones.  The “Organization of Human Rights Activists of Iran”  has identified some of those arrested from Sarawan as Mr Behrooz Bahorzahi son of Pir Bakhsh, teacher at the  Twelve Urdibahesht School, Mr Ali Reza Chakari son of Shahdad,  deputy-principal at the Bagher Khan School, Mr Hamid Reza Chakari, son of Shahdad, and Mr Abdul Rahman Rawanbakhsh, an IT engineer[10].

 

On the 13 August the regime’s security forces attacked the homes of seven more teachers in the city of Zahedan and arrested them. Some of them have been identified by the “Organization of Human Rights Activists of Iran” as Mohmmad Saleh Eslamzahi son of Atah Mohammad and his 17-year-old son Mehdi Islamzahi, and Alim Jangizahi, teacher in the Bagher Khan School. Denying access to information and prohibiting the families to visit them and also threatening families to keep silent indicate that the prisoners are under psychological pressure and being tortured physically. Judging by the recent arrests and executions by the Iranian regime in Balochistan it is certain that these teachers will also be forced to confess and then will be convicted without having access to lawyers and in closed courts.

 

Wall to separate the Baloch people

 

In late 2007, Iran started the construction of a concrete wall that is 3 feet wide and ten feet high, and has dug wide ditches along the border with Pakistan physically separating Baloch families. The concrete wall, fortified with steel rods, will span the 700 km frontier stretching from Taftan in the north and Mand to south. According to the Fars News Agency the Iranian government has invested one hundred billion Iranian Tumans in the construction of the wall in the border areas of Balochistan[11]. The purpose is allegedly to control smuggling across the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, however, its purpose is to control the activities of the opponents of the regime across the borders and to further divide Baloch families living in border areas. If this money were used for the welfare of the people it could change the face of the province. 

 

The main intention of constructing this wall is to further divide the Baloch people under the pretext of bringing an end to the drug trade. Colonial borders established in the early 20 century divided the Baloch nation into three parts.

 

Balochistan is now contained largely within the borders of Iran and Pakistan with a smaller part overlapping Afghanistan. Since the division of the territory, the basic human rights of the Baloch people on the Iranian and Pakistani sides of the borders have been systematically violated. The region is rich in natural resources, has an abundance of rich minerals, fertile land and has a strategic coastline on the Oman Sea that stretches 1000 kilometres. Despite this, the Baloch people have the lowest socio-economic indicators in the whole of Iran and Pakistan. In recent years both Iran and Pakistan have used funds provided by Western countries to suppress the Baloch people under the pretext of combating the Taliban and other extremist forces and reducing drug trafficking.

 

The Suppression of religious activists

The suppression of religious groups and workers has further continued. The Iranian government in its policy of assimilation has been trying to control Sunni religious schools and adapted them to the Shi’a and Ayatollah Khomeini’s doctrine. Baloch clerics have resisted the regime’s policy and as result these scholars were arrested, tortured and executed. Some others are being harassed. The BBC interviewed Molavi Abdul Majeed Moradzahi, one of the prayer leader of Friday prayers in Zahidan, main Sunni masque who said that the government had passed a resolution in the Council of Cultural Revolution to control Sunni Religious schools[12]. This act was opposed by Sunni clerics but was implemented after the  presidential election.Two Sunni Clerks  Molavi Abdul Ghani Shahbakhsh and Mulavi Mohamad Osman Shahbakhsh have been arrested twice whereas 12 other Sunni clerks Religious leaders have been summoned by the Special Religious Court for Clerics.

 

Revolutionary Guards in Charge of Balochistan

Balochistan is one of the most strategic areas in the Middle East, South and Central Asia. It has a large coastline on the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. It also borders Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is home to the Baloch people, who have a distinct national identity from the Persians, the dominant nationality in Iran. Baloch people in Iran are discriminated against because of their ethnicity as Baloch, because they speak a different language from Persian, and because the majority are non-Shi’a. The regime treats the Baloch people as second class citizens.

 

Due to the Iranian government’s discriminatory policies and a policy of assimilation, Baloch people struggle for cultural economic and political rights.

 

Instead of accepting the national, cultural and economic rights for the Baloch people, the Iranian government is concerned with the implementation of policies based on the security concerns of the regime’s absolutist rule, which aim to ensure a Shi’a interpretation of Islam as the official religion and the Persian language hegemony is enforced in the area.

 

In an endeavour to increase their political and economic power, the Revolutionary Guards control an estimated more than 60 illegal unregistered ports in Iran. This was revealed by Mr. Karoubi, while he was head of the Iranian Majlis (Parliament)  during Khatami’s presidency [13]. Most of these ports are on Balochistan’s coastline, in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. The Revolutionary Guards’ economic interest makes it very important for them to increase their presence and control over Balochistan.

 

Since July 2009 last year control of Balochistan’s security and governance have been given to the Revolutionary Guards. As a military force, the Revolutionary Guards govern Balochistan as a military dictatorship, and treat Balochistan as colony of Iran.

 

Balochistan has the highest unemployment rate in Iran. The government is taking advantage of this unemployment by recruiting unemployed young men and women into the Baseej. This is to confront the resistance movement with a local force and also to further divide the Baloch people.

 

Iran after replacing British in western Balochistan has continued the British colonial policy of divide and rule.

 

Some of the main characters of the revolutionary Guards governance in Balochistan have been, arrest of more young men, increased executions, death in the custody. By giving control over Balochistan to Revolutionary Guards Iranian government showed that it does not treat Baloch as Iranian citizen but as colony of Iran.

 

Extra judicial Killing

Extra judicial killing have been a characteristic of Iranian state policy in Balochistan, this was clearly pronounced by head of Mersad a paramilitary group which is responsible for most of extra  judicial killing in Balochistan in recent years. United Nation Human right commission in its declaration on Iran in August 1998 quoted a Mersad commonder who has said: “We have not been given orders to arrest and hand over those who carry weapons. On the basis of a directive we have received, we will execute any bandits, wherever we capture them (Ettela'at, 25 February 1998)” [14].

 

The implementation of this policy has become a prominent feature of current regime in Balochistan, on the 9^th May 2010, a young men on his motorcycle was fired on and was killed by Iranian security forces in the Nikshahr district. When the security forces were approached for the reason for his killing they said he has rebelled against the state. When Iranian government reports on extra judicial killing in Balochistan it uses a wide range of accusations, rebellion against state and fighting against God, contact with foreign governments and smuggling. 

 

On the 5^th April, Colonel Bizhan Yousifi in the Information Centre of Security Forces, who was quoted by Islamic Republic semi Official News Agency, said that three people have been killed in an encounter in the border areas of Balochistan [15], according to local sources at that time there has not been any encounter between Baloch forces and Iranian Security Forces. Most probably those people have died in custody due to torture in prison, and government has falsified the news  to avoid that those people name could be added to the list of political prisoner executed by regime.

 

Balochistan Human right activist reported that a young Baloch man named Mohammad; A. B was killed by Security Forces while driving from Bam to Iranshahr, o the 29^th March. As result of shooting his car caught fire and died. He had two children [16].

 

On the 15 February a car on his way from Iranshahr to Fanouch a smaller town in Balochistan was fired on by petrol of security forces, the driver, Mr. Muradbakhsh Kadkhudahi was wounded and last control, the car caught fire all passenger died on the spot. The passengers belonged to same family husband wife and their children [17].

 

According Jame Jamonline a government supported TV and online news station, on the 31 January 2010, in the Saravan district of Balochistan two people were killed [18]. It reported that this operation was against smuggler and element supported by western power. Iranian government accuse Baloch political and cultural activist as foreign supported element.

 

 

 

 

ACTION REQUESTED

 

Based on the above, and on behalf of the Baloch people in Iran, BPP urges you to:

 

1- Raise with the government of Iran the issue of the current critical situation of the Baloch people in Iran who continue to suffer the denial of basic human rights;

2- Call upon the government of Iran to immediately investigate the extra-judicial killings of civilian Baloch persons living in Iran;

3- Pressure the Iranian authorities to stop torturing Baloch prisoners, give them fair trials and access to defence lawyers; and

Pressure the government of Iran to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. 

 

 

 

Nasser Boladai

Spokesperson for Balochistan People's Party

Nasser.Boladai@BalochPeople.org

 

 

 

 

References:

 

 

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2009/07/090701_alia_jonddollah_ rigi.shtml

[2] http://www.radiofar da.com/content/F7_Jundollah_ AbdolHamid_ Rigi/1767602. html

[3] Web address to Balochist Human Right activists weblog: http://bhrw. blogspot. Com

[4] Web adress to Radio Balochi FMs news: http://www.radiobal ochi.org/ BH_Rights/ 3tanAzEdamiyaneR ajaeiShahrBaloch Bodand090704. html

[5] http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/iran-government-must-stop-executions-14-men-20090713

[6] http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/iran-executions-send-chilling-message-2010-03-30

[7] http://www.hra-news.org/news/11755.aspx

http://www.ihrv.org/inf/?p=3534

http://fas.balochpeople.org/articles/%D8%AD%D9%82%D9%88%D9%82-%D8%A8%D8%B4%D8%B1/331

http://iranbbb.org/58288.htm

[8] http://www.irna.ir/View/FullStory/?NewsId=1147657&IdZone=41

[9] http://hra-news.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=406:baloch&catid=6:31&Itemid=7  and http://baluchnet.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/two-baloch-political-activists-tortured-to-death-by-iranian-security-forces/

[10] http://www.rfi.fr/actufa/articles/116/article_7921.asp

[11] http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8603010175

[12] http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2009/11/091113_op_zahedan_arrest.shtml

[13] http://asre-nou.net/1386/shahrivar/6/m-behrouz.html

[14] http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/e8fd3e68a3e4b563802566880051d10e?Opendocument

and  http://web.amnesty.org/library/pdf/MDE131042007PERSIAN/$File/MDE1310407.pdf

[15] http://www.irna.ir/View/FullStory/?NewsId=1038196&IdZone=41

[16] http://www.radiobalochi.org/BH_Rights/BHRAA_qatleh1jawanehIranshahriTawsotehNiroehEntezami20100325.html

[17]http://www.ostomaan.org/articles/%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%88-%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%84/4912 and  http://taptan2.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_1762.html

[18] http://www.jamejamonline.ir/newstext.aspx?newsnum=100866150399