Free Balochistan Movement Holds Protest in The Hague on Anniversary of Zahedan Massacre
THE HAGUE NETHERLANDS: On the third anniversary of the 2022 “Bloody Friday” massacre in Zahedan, the Netherlands branch of the Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) staged a protest outside the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday September 30, calling attention to ongoing human rights violations in Iranian-occupied Balochistan.
The demonstration, which took place from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, honoured the memory of unarmed Baloch civilians who were killed by Iranian security forces on September 30, 2022. Protesters held banners and chanted slogans against the “occupying states” of Iran and Pakistan, urging the international community to hold both governments accountable for their campaign of systemic oppression of the Baloch people.
Obaid Baloch, head Organisational Department External of the FBM, in his speech said that Iran was treating the Baloch people as “less than human.” He described the Zahedan incident, where security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters, as a clear example of state-sponsored brutality. “This wasn’t an isolated event,” he said, “but part of Iran’s ongoing systematic genocide against the Baloch nation.”
Also speaking at the protest was Dr. Latif Baloch, a member of the Baloch National Movement, who provided harrowing statistics from the 2022 crackdown. “More than a hundred Baloch youth and elders were martyred, and over 300 were injured in a single day,” he said. Dr. Baloch accused both Iran and Pakistan of nearly a century of political and cultural repression, adding that “millions of Baloch children have been martyred and exiled during 96 years of occupation.”
Both speakers stressed that the Zahedan massacre symbolizes a broader historical struggle, and that the Baloch people remain committed to their movement for independence and justice.
The protest concluded with a call for international intervention. FBM organisers urged the International Court of Justice to investigate the Zahedan killings and hold the responsible Iranian forces accountable. They emphasised that the Baloch struggle will continue until their homeland is liberated from foreign occupation.
