Sat 27 February 2021:
Iranian authorities should transparently investigate alleged government security forces’ use of excessive force in Sistan and Baluchistan province on February 22, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. At least 10 Baluchi people were killed in the Saravan border area near Pakistan, local activists said.
According to HRW, the Baluchi Activists Campaign, a website reporting on human rights violations in the area, reported that on February 22, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps blocked the road that residents use to transport fuel to Pakistan at the Eskan border area in the town of Saravan, in Sistan and Baluchistan province. The security forces then apparently opened fire at those attempting to open the road, killing at least 10 people and injuring 5.
One of the videos published online on Thursday, February 25 depicted Baluch women and children who had apparently been shot at with rubber bullets. The military also used rubber bullets to disperse protesters in front of the Saravan governor’s office earlier in the week.
On February 25, several mobile network operators shut down internet access in several parts of the province, including Zahedan and Saravan, a digital rights researcher reported. According to official statistics, more than 95 percent of internet users in the province are connected through mobile service. Several activists had said that since the February 22 incident, internet access in the area has been disrupted.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that on the same day, violence broke out when protesters gathered in front of the governor’s office in Saravan. The police used teargas and shot bullets to disperse the crowd, HRANA said. It is not clear if any protester was injured during the incident.
US condemned
The US State Department has condemned Iran’s government for the violence in the southeast Baluchistan region. The statement comes at a time of high tensions between the two countries.
On Thursday, the department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs called on Iran to show restraint in the area.
“Deeply concerning reports of internet outages & government violence against fuel carriers & protestors in Iran’s Sistan & Baluchestan province. We call upon Iran to uphold its commitments to human rights & fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression & peaceful assembly,” the department tweeted.
High rate of poverty
Sistan and Baluchistan province has a high rate of poverty and lacks access to economic and social infrastructure. Similar to the western provinces of Western Azerbaijan and Kurdistan, its lack of economic opportunities has led many residents to engage in unlawful cross-border commerce with Pakistan and Iraq.
Over the past three years, Iranian authorities have increasingly used large-scale internet shutdowns during periods of unrest and protests to disrupt access to information for local communities and international observers. Internet shutdowns violate multiple rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and access to information, and the rights to peaceful assembly and association.
