At least six Baluch protesters were arrested during a rally held on June 17, 2018, outside the Governor’s Office in Iranshahr, south east of Iran, in outrage over the rape of 40 school girls.
One of the detained protesters has been identified as Abdullah Bozorgzadeh.
Earlier, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of the city revealed the news of the mass rape of 41 school girls during his Friday sermon on June 15, 2018. Local sources say members of the gang involved in a recent in the mass raping enjoyed the support of an IRGC Basij paramilitary commander. Many victims say they were kidnapped by armed men in uniforms. The officials of the Justice Department, however, deny such claims.
Debunking the news, Ebrahim Hamidi, Chief Justice of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, said, “There may have been bonds between the (assailant) boys and the (victim) girls based on the promise of marriage.” (The state-run ISNA news agency, June 17, 2018)
Outraged over the authorities’ failure to pursue the criminals, locals staged a rally outside the Governor’s Office on June 17, 2018.
