Writing is in the midst of the flames of fury and blood

 

Chabahari girl revealed the naked truth about the underlying conflicts of Balouchestan society. All of a sudden, the society ran out of patience and erupted. We remember that when Iran was mourning the tragic death of Mahsa Zhina Amini, the news of Baluchistan broke over social media. A high-ranking police official in Chabahar had raped a teenage girl living in one of the villages of Chabahar. In those days, rumours were flying around, and there were many confirmations and denials circulating in cyberspace. The judiciary and law enforcement did not see the need to respond. The accused was from the same official apparatus of repression in Balouchestan who never felt obliged to respond to his crimes, insults, and abuse, as he felt entitled. Meanwhile, a well-known Balouch activist started to publicly investigate this matter, others tried to shed light on the incident through the network of acquaintances. While the mainstream media was silent, this civil activist revealed the tragic truth. She was later threatened and jailed. 

 

These activists’ initiative, in a society that is known for its deafening silence on sexual violence, is unprecedented. The common perception has always been that “this is Baluchistan, anyway”, the tribe decides itself, probably by getting rid of the girl. In 2017, forty-four women from Iranshahr were raped, the truth was never uncovered. The society could no longer remain silent. Something had cracked in Baluchistan. Their understanding of discrimination, suffering and recognition of their right to their destiny had been transformed. This growth was evident when seeking justice for the Chabahari girl.

 

At first, the clergy kept a “meaningful” silence and called for order. Members of the parliament and official parties active in Balouchestan chose utter silence, as the tribe did.  The ruling Shiite central government had a similar approach to this disaster; An encounter which has become a “normal” and frequent topic in the geography of Balouchestan. Perhaps a review of the structural and historical discrimination in Balouchestan will help to understand the central government’s approach to the issue of Chabahari girl. For years, the central Shiite government has deprived Balouchestan from development and justice-oriented programs with disenfranchisement and structural discrimination. For years, it has shattered the hope of a better life and dehumanized them with its centrist and hegemonic meaning-making system. Men have been portrayed in a violent, barbaric light, while women were deemed as passive and oppressed. Colluding with the central power and protecting their interests guarantee climbing up the ladder of success.  

 

Widespread poverty and high rates of illiteracy, (unemployment, and lack of identification) in Balouchestan are no longer hidden from anyone. The Baloch have been a forgotten nation for years, and the evidence lies in the increase in executions of the Baloch in the last two years without transparency and fair trial, which leaves no hope for justice in other crimes. Despite this painful history and the systematic exclusionary practices, the massacre of the empty-handed justice-seekers on the Bloody Friday of Zahedan, revealed the oppression and discrimination against the Baloch nation more than ever to the other people of Iran. Cutting off the Internet failed to silence the voice of the Baloch. The central government, which has always used polarization and prioritized the interests of non-Baloch natives over the Baloch to advance its scenarios, has not been able to attract popular support. The armed groups that were active near the borders of Balouchestan had been undermined by Pakistan and the Taliban, and the government could no longer support the claim of “armed Baloch people”. On that Bloody Friday, the Baloch had nothing but sticks and stones in their hands against the barrage of machine guns, as evidenced by countless videos that were published after this bloody day.

 

 

These events made people of other regions, especially the nations throughout Iran, to sympathize with the Baloch and voice their support for them in their protests. These changes and sympathies promise a new era that warns the government that it should be afraid of the changing society of Balouchestan. The Sunni clergy led by Abdul Hamid Ismail Zahi, who tried to institutionalize the oppression of women for years, maintained their status by colluding with the government and tribes. Discredited by women and activists, this institution did not anticipate disobedience due to the support of the Taliban and Raisi’s presidency.  Other Sunni clerics of Balouchestan had a similar situation. Only one person amongst many Imams of the Friday prayer was willing to listen to the voice of the family of the Chabahari girl before the street protests and voice their concerns from the official platform about the experienced oppression. However, the people of Chabahar spontaneously came to the street and gathered without the call of official authorities and the support of traditional authorities to seek justice. This rally, which continued until late at night, led to the arrest of many people, including several Baloch women, some of whom are still in prison. Three days after this protest, that is, on the Bloody Friday of Zahedan, people did not keep silent and rebelled against Molavi Abdul Hamid’s wishes. The death toll is a testament to the chronic oppression. Many of the dead didn’t even have birth certificates, they had a history of drug abuse and humiliation in provincial prisons, coming from marginal areas like Shirabad; It is not an exaggeration to say that this neighborhood is one of the poorest and most deprived areas in the peripheral regions of Iran. But are thought as rebellious who should be put in their place! The follow-up of the events after the Bloody Friday shows that some clerics tried to quell the public anger caused by their silence by making statements in support of the protesters; An issue that shows how people were able to undermine the leadership of the clerics and at the same time discredit the scenarios of the repression apparatus, without needing the support of an external authority.

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