Iran: Sistan and Baluchestan’s stand against oppression

By
Staff Writer
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In the landscape of Iranian resistance, Sistan and Baluchestan province emerges as a beacon of defiance against the dictatorial rule of the mullahs.
In the landscape of Iranian resistance, Sistan and Baluchestan province emerges as a beacon of defiance against the dictatorial rule of the mullahs.

In the landscape of Iranian resistance, Sistan and Baluchestan province emerges as a beacon of defiance against the dictatorial rule of the mullahs.

 

Repeated demonstrations, most notably on Fridays, have cemented its reputation as a province that vehemently opposes the regime’s oppression.

On October 13, chants of “Death to Khamenei, death to the dictator, my martyred brother, I will avenge your blood” rang out in Zahedan, the provincial capital. This spirit of revolt was previously witnessed on September 29, marking the anniversary of the uprising that sent shockwaves through the regime’s repressive machinery.

However, to merely observe the overt displays of dissent is to miss a pivotal undercurrent that fuels this resistance: extreme economic deprivation. Sistan and Baluchestan is Iran’s most impoverished province. The statistics paint a grim picture—Fanuj County is the nation’s most deprived county, the region grapples with high unemployment rates, alarming rates of child malnutrition, illiteracy, and an increased mortality rate for pregnant women, to name just a few.

 

A startling revelation comes from the state-run Khabar Online website, which, on October 13, 2023, shed light on child labor in this province. It highlighted the harrowing reality of boys as young as five years old abandoning their childhoods to join the perilous world of work, particularly in the hazardous domain of fuel porting. Such extreme measures arise out of the sheer desperation to eke out a living.

While the mullahs’ regime capitalizes on fuel smuggling, the local populace, especially the Baluchi, are restricted and met with lethal force for transporting even a few hundred liters. The heart-wrenching account of a father, who involves his children in this dangerous trade, epitomizes the bleakness of the situation.

 

 

Although state-run media provides only a glimpse into this grim reality, scratching the surface reveals an underlying fury. This economic despair provides the foundation for the province’s continued uprising and is emblematic of broader discontent across the nation. The indomitable spirit of Baluchestan’s children, some of whom have become symbols of the 2022 uprising, like Hasti Naruee, Mohammad Rakhshani, Mohammad Eqbal Shahnavazi, and Adel Kuchakzehi, speaks volumes.

In the face of overwhelming adversity, the children and people of Baluchestan remain undeterred. With a legacy of defiance and sacrifice, they are at the forefront of the fight to overthrow the mullahs’ regime and realize the dream of a free Iran.

 

Instead of youthful games and learning in classrooms, the children of this province are trapped in a haunting game of life and death, with the regime's policies primarily to blame.
Instead of youthful games and learning in classrooms, the children of this province are trapped in a haunting game of life and death, with the regime’s policies primarily to blame.

 

 

MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu

 

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