In this article, Amias Eleutheria explains the recent events in Iran.
Photo Credit: National Council of Resistance of Iran
Recently in Iran's southern Province of Sistan and Baluchistan mass demonstrations are happening, and many demonstrators are getting killed on the spot by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpse (IRGC). It is not only demonstrators that are being attacked but also non-protestors local Baluchi people. The IRGC's job is to stop any demonstrations, to harass people and silence them from telling the reality of the cruel regime.
Sistan and Baluchistan is a region in Iran that is different than rest of Iran. Majority of the people in Sistan and Baluchistan are ethnically Baluchi, and they speak Baluchi. Baluchi's have a darker skin tone than the rest of the Iranians, because of their skin tone they are being discriminated against by the government. Sistan and Baluchistan has large number of natural resources like gold, but ironically, the region is the poorest in the country. The government exploit the Baluchi's of their resources and the money that the government earns, they invest in themselves instead of investing for bettering the province's living conditions. Some Baluchi's have decided to earn a living by smuggling drugs in and out of the country.
Lately the Oil prices have been extremely high and that has made life very hard for most Iranians but especially the Baluchi's, they have been struggling for a long time and that has made their life even harder. Baluchi's demanded the government to lower the prices of oil but the government closed its ears. Therefore, many smugglers started smuggling oil from Pakistan so they could sell the oil to the locals.
Baluchis, tired of their living conditions, started protesting on the streets. They demanded the end of exploitation of the natural rescores, to lower the price of oil and they also demanded the government to start investing in the infrastructure of the region. The Iranian Government ordered the IRGC to control the demonstrations in Sistan and Baluchistan. The IRGC began shouting on the protesters and harass small villages near the Pakistani border.
The attacks did not stop the local Baluchi people from demonstrating and the outrage spread to many cities in Sistan and Baluchistan. The protest spread to the large cities like Iranshar, Zahedan ,Chabahar and Saravan. That angered the government so they sent more IRGC troops into the region and they cut the internet of the province hindering the spread of any news on social media. The IRGC is attacking more Baluchi's than before. Some sources estimate 7,000 people have been harassed under a week and some videos have made it to social media where we see wounded men, women and children screaming for help. Other videos show a horrifying site of IRGC troops shouting at protesters.
Very little is being covered about the situation in Sistan and Baluchistan. Every day more and more Baluchi's are being killed. I do think it's very unfair that nobody talks about the case and nobody even mentions the crimes of IRGC. It's like nobody even wants to know what is happening in Sistan and Baluchistan. If you are interested to help, you can spread awareness about the case, post the videos of the events on your social media or link this article on your social media. You can pressure your government to step in and stop the Iranian government because this case shouldn’t end up in the trash of failure of humanity.
Sources:
1.NCRI Iran: Sistan and Baluchestan Uprising – 5 – Fourth Day of the Uprising in Zahedan and Other Cities https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/ncri-statements/statement-iran-protest/iran-sistan-and-baluchestan-uprising-5-fourth-day-of-the-uprising-in-zahedan-and-other-cities/
2. Human rights watch Iran: Killings Near Pakistani Border
Alleged Excessive Use of Force, Internet Shutdown https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/25/iran-killings-near-pakistani-border
WARNING : GRAPHIC VIDEOS DEPICTING VIOLENCE , BLOOD , & GORE. PLEASE WATCH AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION