LONDON – The spokesperson for the Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) in a press release announced that events will be organised in various cities across Europe to mark the second anniversary of ‘The Zahedan Massacre by Iran’ during which 100 Baloch were indiscriminately shot and killed in Iranian-occupied Balochistan.
The protests will also highlight the ongoing genocide of the Baloch nation by Iran.
On September 30, 2022, during Friday prayer in the central city of Zahidan, the occupying Iranian army and other forces opened fire on the Baloch people as they were leaving the mosque. This attack occurred when the community was protesting the alleged sexual assault on a Baloch girl by a Commander of Iranian police named Ibrahim Kochakzai.
The statement noted that in this direct and indiscriminate firing, over 100 Baloch youths and elders were martyred and more than 300 were injured. Many of the injured later succumbed to their wounds.
The spokesperson emphasised that the oppression and violence against the Baloch people in Iranian and Pakistani-occupied Balochistan is not a new issue; rather, it is part of a systematic genocide that has been ongoing since the occupation of Balochistan.
The Baloch nation is being targeted not only through direct violence but also through various means of economic and cultural repression, including executions under the pretext of alleged crimes, as the Iranian and Pakistani occupiers impose restrictions on the financial and cultural life of the Baloch people.
It is important to recall that in 2022, an Iranian police officer sexually assaulted a young Baloch girl in Chabahar, sparking widespread protests across Balochistan. During these protests, the occupying Iranian forces indiscriminately opened fire on Baloch citizens during the Friday prayer gathering at Makki Masjid.
The statement further added that during nearly 96 years of occupation in Iranian-occupied Balochistan, millions of Baloch have been martyred or exiled due to their political, social, and cultural beliefs. However, the commitment to the cause of a united Balochistan’s freedom remains steadfast.
Today’s Balochistan reflects a century of division. Still, the struggle for a united and free Baloch homeland will continue, as the Baloch people, regardless of whether they are under Iranian or Pakistani occupation, form a single body and unity. It is our collective responsibility to raise our voices against all forms of oppression and enhance our struggle to materialise the dream of a liberated Balochistan.
The spokesperson also reminded that on November 4, 2022, during a protest against Iranian oppression in the city of Khash, the occupying Iranian army opened fire, killing 18 Baloch individuals and injuring over 20. Before this, a protest in Chabahar on September 27 also resulted in the deaths and injuries of several Baloch citizens due to gunfire from the occupying Iranian army.
On September 30, the FBM through its protests and events will inform the international community and other organisations that Iran and Pakistan are committing genocide against the Baloch nation, urging global powers to raise their voices against the genocide perpetrated by Iran and Pakistan.