Balochistan: Iranian prison authorities raped six teenage Baloch prisoners

The Baloch Activists’ Campaign in an exclusive report has revealed that six Baloch detainees and a citizen from Mashhad who was arrested during the protests were sexually assaulted in Zahedan Central Prison.

The Campaign has released the identity of the six Baloch detainees who were sexually assaulted in Zahedan as follows: Benyamin Kohkan, 16 years old, son of Hamid Reza, Elyas Kohkan, 19 years old, son of Hamid Reza, Yasin Kobdani, 17 years old, son of Gholam Ali, Mohammed Darwish Naroi, 19 years old, son of Hamid Reza, Abdul Rehman, 21-year-old, Ishaq Rigi, the son of Mohammad and Saeed Baranzahi.

There was no information about the identity of the detained citizen from Mashhad at the time of filing this report.

An informed source told the campaign reporter: “The authorities of Zahedan Central Prison intended to obtain forced confessions from them with severe physical and mental torture, but when they failed, they raped and sexually tortured them.”

This source, who did not want to be named, added: “These Baloch detainees are living in very deplorable conditions, mentally and physically, after being tortured and sexually assaulted.”

Benyamin Kohkan and Yasin Kobdani are currently kept in the ward of the Children’s Correctional Center in Zahedan Central Prison, and Benyamin tried to commit suicide twice after being sexually assaulted but was unsuccessful.

Benjamin tried to commit suicide after being raped twice by drinking toilet liquid and collecting and taking painkillers en masse. These pills were given to him to relieve the pain caused by the rape.

After the sexual assault of Benyamin was made public, the judicial authorities verbally informed to his family that the 6th Branch Court charged him with “Moharebeh” or “fighting God”.

Also, the authorities of Zahedan Central Prison have threatened to issue charges of “waging war” against five other detainees if the issue of rape is published in the media.

On Tuesday, March 3, 2023, Benyamin’s mother and aunt managed to meet him, and they announced that his physical and mental condition was in a bad state.

According to the 2022 annual report of the Baloch Activists’ Campaign have received reports of a total of 305 and these reports are divided into two categories before the “Mahoo Baloch” movement and after it.

After the news of the rape of a 15-year-old Baloch girl named Maho by the police chief of Chabahar, protests were held in different regions of Balochistan, and at the same time as the nationwide protests were taking place after the murder of Zhina Amini, the number of arrests suddenly increased.

According to Campaign, a total of 307 Baloch citizens were arrested by military forces in 2022 alone.