Dozens Arrested on Anniversary of Bloody Friday of Zahedan

On the anniversary of the “Bloody Friday of Zahedan” last Friday, September 29, protests unfolded across several cities in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. In the aftermath, security forces detained numerous individuals within the province. Currently, the identities of 68 detainees, including 18 minors, have been established.

These protests escalated into violence as security and military forces employed gas, leading to injuries and hospitalizations among several protestors. According to Haal Vsh, a news outlet dedicated to reporting human rights violations in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, at least 29 individuals, including eight minors, have been injured. Among them, Haal Vsh has identified a 13-year-old named Hasib Rigi.

Furthermore, on the same day, Netblocks, a watchdog organization monitoring cybersecurity and internet governance, confirmed significant disruptions in internet connectivity within Zahedan.

Additionally, visual evidence has emerged depicting a heavy military presence in Zahedan, particularly around the Makki Grand Mosque, intensifying tensions on this day. Nevertheless, the Zahedan Prosecutor dismissed reports of shooting incidents, characterizing the situation as normal.

About Bloody Friday of Zahedan

Last year, during the nationwide protests of 2022 in Iran sparked by the tragic death in detention of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, Zahedan witnessed a brutal crackdown on September 30, 2022. As protestors converged at the Great Mosalla of Zahedan after the Friday prayers, the Iranian security forces unleashed a barrage of live ammunition, metal pellets, and tear gas, resulting in significant casualties. This tragedy, now known as the “Bloody Friday of Zahedan,” has come to symbolize the Iranian authorities’ increasing disdain for the sanctity of human life and the broader struggles of the Baloch community in the country.
Read HRA’s report for an overview and contextual information about the event.

Report on the Third Day of Nationwide Protests Following Mahsa Amini’s Death

On September 19, 2022, the nationwide protests for Mahsa Amini’s death continued for the third consecutive day. People protested Amini’s death in the streets and they chanted slogans against the regime and police brutality against women. These protests turned violent by the police and security forces, and several protestors were injured. In Divandarreh, the government forces killed two individuals. The police also used tear gas, pellet guns and water cannons.

Universities of Tehran and Isfahan students chanted slogans “death to the dictator”, “Iran is soaked in blood, from Kurdistan to Tehran”, “Kurdistan, a graveyard for fascists”, “Woman, life, freedom”, and “we are all Mahsa, we will fight back.”

In the Kurdistan region of Iran, in response to a call for a general strike by media and opposition political parties, shopkeepers went on strike and closed the markets.

According to Shargh News Agency, MCI, the biggest internet service provider, has filtered the Keyword “Mahsa Amini”. NetBlocks, an internet monitoring organization reported a near-total disruption in some cities, including Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province.

Dozens of protestors have been arrested in different cities. In Saqqez, Mahsa Amini’s hometown, the security forces arrested at least 22 individuals, of which three have been taken to an unidentified location and the rest to the Saqqez Prison. The arrest of four individuals in Sanandaj, five in Paveh, one in Oshnavieh and one in Bukan have been verified so far. Two civil rights activists, Ribvar Kamrani-Pour and Amjad Saedi have also been arrested in Mariwan.

HRANA has also reported the arrest of two individuals, Nazanin Haji-Zadeh and writer and film director Mahnaz Mohammadi in Tehran.

Mahsa Amini was arrested by Tehran Morality Police at a train station for improper hejab. She fell into a coma after head trauma caused by police brutality and later died at a hospital in Tehran.

Report on Protests Following Abadan Building Collapse

In recent days, following the collapse of a building in Abadan in Khuzestan Province which led to the death of 29 people declared so far, hundreds of citizens in Abadan, Ahvaz, Shahin-Shahr, Shahr-e-Rey, Andimeshk and Khorramshahr demonstrated against the government, more specifically on the issues related to corruption, low safety standards, and mismanagement. People protested against authorities and influential individuals whose corruption, incompetency and failure to impose safety standards on the construction contributed to the disaster. They also blamed shortcomings in rescue operations and equipment for such a high death toll.

Metropol Collapse

So far, a number of protestors have been arrested. Anti-riot forces have been present on the scene, turning peaceful protests into a violent showdown.

On Monday, May 23, 2022, 10-story building which was under construction known as Metropol collapsed in the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province. Dozens of people were killed, injured or trapped in the rubble. The experts of the Abadan Engineering Organization had already warned about the safety deficiencies and announced that for these safety issues, the building should not be inaugurated. Nonetheless, the construction continued.

Although the causes of the collapse have not been investigated yet, many argue that the lack of construction oversight by the municipal officials who are themselves the shareholders of this project led to this disaster.

Moreover, the government’s failure to provide adequate emergency response and proper rescue equipment caused anger and criticism toward the officials. According to some victims’ families and protestors, the officials’ failure to provide the required equipment hindered the debris removal operation, which led to the death of more people who were trapped under rubble. Moreover, the government did not cancel a state-run celebration in a sports stadium, which further angered the populace.

Protests

Initially, people gathered for mourning after the building collapse which turned into the marching in streets and spread to additional cities. In Abadan, Ahvaz, Shahin-Shahr, Shahr Ray, Andimeshk and Khorramshahr, people marched and chanted slogans against the Iranian regime.

On Friday, the protests turned violent in some cities as the police attempted to scatter the crowds with tear gas and pellet guns. Many protestors were beaten in Ahvaz and Shahin-Shahr .

The protests continued on Saturday and Sunday. In Andimeshk, Abadan, Shahr-e-Rey, and Dezful, people marched and chanted “death to the dictator”, “the clerics must go away”, and other anti-regime slogans.

On Sunday, officials in Abadan attempted to hold a supervised mourning gathering. According to reports of eye-witnesses obtained by HRANA, during the gathering, people began to chant anti-regime slogans, did not allow the assigned cleric to finish sermons, and left to march in the streets.

The map below shows the geographical distribution of protests:

On Friday, Netblocks, a watchdog organization that monitors global access to the internet reported disruption on the internet in Iran. Some local sources have also reported the internet and phone disruption to HRANA. These reports were in Abadan, Ahvaz and Khorramshahr.

Arrests

Dozens of people have been arrested during these protests. So far, HRANA has identified four individuals who were arrested as Ali Fartoosi, Aghil Amoori, Mohammad Fartoosi, and Hamid Fartoosi. These individuals were arrested and transferred to an unidentified location. Also, on Thursday, Karim Aldninawi, an Arab poet and resident of Shush City, was arrested following his criticism of the government in a video post on social media.

The following video is a compilation of 44 verified video reports on current protests.