Resurgence in Iran : Police Commander Raped, 36 Protesters Killed in Firing
Another case came to light when protests did not end after the death of
22-year-old Mahsa
Amini in police custody in Iran. Protests against the rape of a 15-year-old Baloch girl took place in Jehdan city on Friday. The police
fired to stop him. 36 people are reported to have died. Then the police opened fire.
Police Commander accused of rape
Last week, a police commander was accused of raping a 15-year-old minor. Iran's president, Sunni cleric Maulvi Abdul Hamid,
confirmed that Sagira had been raped. The Sunni Baloch population lives in
Iran's south-eastern Sistan and Balochistan provinces. On Friday, leaders of
the Baloch community called for protest against the incident.
Clashes took place between the people and the police during the
demonstration. According to media reports, most of the city of Jehdan is under
the control of the protesters.
The September 1 incident
Chabahar police commander Colonel Ibrahim Khuchakzai was investigating
the murder case. The commander called Sagira to the station for questioning and
raped her there. According to Iranian media reports, the incident took place on
September 1. Sagira reached home and spoke to her mother about it.
To suppress the matter, the security forces abducted three of the
victim's relatives and forced the victim's family to give a statement that
nothing had happened to the girl. The victim's family was also pressured not to
file a complaint. However, despite immense pressure, the victim's family did
not drop the allegations of rape.
Who are the Baloch living in Iran?
Balochistan is divided between Pakistan and Iran. It is called the
province of Sistan and Balochistan. The population of Baloch in Iran is about 1.5 million. Baloch living in Pakistan and Iran are fighting for an
independent nation for themselves.
Baloch living in Iran also live in difficult conditions like Baloch
living in Pakistan. In Iran, the Baloch are demonstrating against the
repression of government forces. Ten Baloch traders were killed by Iranian
security forces in February last year. This was followed by large-scale
demonstrations. Sistan and Baluchistan are the poorest provinces of Iran.
The Baloch population lives in the Iran-Afghanistan and Pakistan border
areas and faces discrimination and persecution in all three countries.
