Mass arrests in Balochistan

Balochistan Peoples Front

Mass arrests in Balochistan

London, 21 May 07. Balochistan Peoples Front-- 1479 Baloch have been arrested during the Unity 1 Manoeuvre in Baluchistan and Baluch dominated areas of Kerman, the official Iranian news agency, IRNA reported. The agency quoted the director of Public Relations of Operational Base of Rasool Akram as saying that 156 polluted locations were cleansed and 6 armed men were killed. He added that 174 insurgents and their associates were also arrested.

At the same time there were other reports that dozens of wounded security forces were transferred to different hospitals in Zahedan including Bany Akram hospital. Another report by Marzeporgohar.mihanblog.com confirmed that a large number of injured security forces are in critical conditions and the hospital officials have banned the ordinary people from visiting the hospital.

Some witnesses believe the objective of this manoeuvre was to cleanse ethnic Baluch from their ancestral lands under different pretexts. The official who gave the news of the Unity 1 Manoeuvre categorised 1479 Baluch as aggressors. This is a new term that was attributed to some people to justify their eviction from their lands under ethnic cleansing policy of the Iranian government.

Roya Sarani, a 12 year old girl was shot dead by the Iranian security forces in Zahedan on 16 May 07. Her parents were forced to bury her in a quiet manner. They were not allowed to hold a public burial for their daughter. She was gunned down after returning from school to home after sitting her exams.

The People's Resistance Movement of Iran announced that one of their bases in Sarawan was attacked by the Iranian security forces at three o'clock in the morning of 14 May o7. A gun battle was exchanged between the two sides which resulted in the death of 7 revolutionary guards. The security forces were forced to retreat after the local people protested against their presence in the region.

The arrests of 1479 Baluch as aggressors and another 174 as insurgents indicates the Islamic Republic's resolve for relentlessly pursuing ethnic cleansing of Baloch people from their ancestral homelands. The Iranian government announced that 700 Baluch have received their death sentences from the Iranian Supreme Court. After Amnesty International's appeal for help for saving the lives of these people, Iranian regime decided to transfer a large number of the condemned Baluch to different provinces of Iran including Khorasan and Hormozgan. 20 Baluch have been executed in these provinces in the last three weeks, according to the Iranian official news agency, Irna.

Balochistan Peoples Front

Reza Hossein Borr