Executions of Baloch prisoners: Iran hanged 138 in 10 months

DOZZAP (Zahedan): Iran has recently accelerated the execution of Baloch prisoners including those involved in political activism. Three Baloch prisoners were hanged in Zahedan central jail on the dawn of Saturday 11 November, 2023.

According to the details, three prisoners, including one Baloch political prisoner, were hanged in Zahedan, the capital city of Iranian-occupied Balochistan, on Saturday morning.

 These prisoners have been identified as 32-year-old Maysam Chandani son of Muhammad, resident of Sarwan, 33-year-old Abdul Haq Gumshadzahi son of Nawab resident of Mirjava and 23-year-old Reza Arbabzahi son of Mir Ali who was from Farah province of Afghanistan and resided in Zabol.

Among the three victims, Maysam Chandani was arrested on political and security charges on the morning of September 6, 2011, when Sarawan Intelligence Department officials raided his house in the Bakhshan area of Sarawan.

Later he was handed over to Zahedan Intelligence, he was physically and mentally tortured in the detention center and later coerced to confess.

 Abdul Haq was arrested and accused of murder in 2020 and sentenced to death by the Zahedan Criminal Court earlier this year. Raza Arbabzahi was also arrested on charges of murder in 2020 and was sentenced to death by an Iranian kangaroo court.

Meanwhile, the Baloch Activists Campaign (BAC) reported that in the past 10 months of this year, Iranian forces have executed at least 138 Baloch prisoners including four women.

The victims were accused of different charges including murder, drug-related charges and political & security pretexts.

It is important to note that Iranian forces intensified abduction, target killings and execution of Baloch since the bloody Friday incident in Zahedan.

The prisoners are often subjected to physical and mental torture, mistreated, and humiliated to confess crimes that they did not commit. The families are later pressured to stay silent about such behaviour of Iran’s forces.