The Baloch are an ethnic group that speaks the Balochi language and are native to the Balochistan region of South and Western Asia, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. There are also Baloch diaspora communities in Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula.
The Baloch today is a nation without a state. In 1948, Pakistan attacked Baluchistan, occupied the land, looted its natural resources, and suppressed the Balochi language and culture in a classic colonialist style. Under Pakistani occupation, thousands of Baloch people have been massacred, hundreds of thousands were made refugees, and thousands more have disappeared or been tortured and jailed, often without trial.
There are an estimated 2 million Baloch living in Iran, and they do not fare any better. According to MEMRI, on September 30, 2022, the Islamic regime violently repressed the demonstrations of Baloch protesters who were gathering in front of a police station in Zahedan – leading to what would become known as the Zahedan massacre, or Bloody Friday, in which more than 150 people were killed and hundreds injured. Baloch media outlet Balochwarna.com stressed that the protests in Zahedan erupted after news emerged that the police head of the coastal city of Chabahar, Colonel Ebrahim Kochzai, had raped a 15-year-old Baloch girl on September 27, 2022, after arresting her for interrogation.
The people of Zahedan took to the streets to protest the sexual assault of the Baloch girl and the systemic discrimination and structural repression against the Baloch people. The protests emerged within the context of the 2022 uprising against the Iranian regime after Kurdish-Iranian woman Jina (Mahsa) Amini was arrested by the Iranian religious police for wearing her headscarf “improperly” and died in police custody. Her killing sparked protests all over Iran as she became the symbol of the uprising against the Iranian regime.
Thousands attended the protests, chanting, “I will kill whoever killed my brother!”; “Death to Khamenei!”; “Mullahs should get lost!”; “Basiji and IRGC, you are our ISIS!”; “Khamenei – have some honor and leave the country!”; and “This is the year of bloody uprising!”
After Iran attacked Israel with over 200 ballistic missiles, it would behoove Israel to support Iran’s ethnic groups in an uprising aimed at toppling the mullahs in Tehran. For this reason, Israelis and the Jewish Diaspora should do everything in their power to support a free Baluchistan.
Fulvio Martusciello, a member of the European Parliament, recently stated in a conference organized by Peace for Asia Switzerland that “Baluchistan has emerged as the South Asian gateway for maximum illegal immigration into the EU.” The question we must all ask ourselves is, why? The human rights situation in Baluchistan is quite bleak. Baluchistan is currently split up between Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, with the former two areas witnessing multiple uprisings and insurgencies against Pakistani and Iranian control. This is partially due to how Baluchistan was annexed and the mistreatment of the Baloch populations by these occupying forces.
MEMRI reported, “Since 1839, particularly with the rise of centralized Iranian rule under the Pahlavi dynasty and later the Islamic Republic, Balochistan has faced harsh policies aimed at assimilation, suppression of cultural identity, and economic disenfranchisement. The state’s perception of the Baloch’s demand for political autonomy and religious freedom as a threat to its hegemony has led to systematic persecution.” A major grievance among the Baloch people in Pakistan has been the use of enforced disappearances by the Pakistan military and intelligence services. This has led to a large protest movement, the most recent of which was led by Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, both of whom had family members forcibly disappeared. Pakistan’s repression of Baluchistan has coincided with an increasingly deadly separatist armed movement in the province. In recent times, the Baloch struggle has become mainstream across Pakistan, largely thanks to social media.”
After five Baloch youths were abducted in Gwadar, the problem of enforced disappearances in Baluchistan continues to escalate. Baloch Yachjeti Committee, a Baloch rights organization, accused the Pakistani security forces of “feasting upon Baloch youth like monsters.” They also called upon the community of nations to “preserve the right to life of the Baloch nation.” However, forced disappearances are not the only issue faced by the Baloch. Shooters killed seven workers in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Baluchistan. Armed men stormed a residence where laborers from eastern Punjab province were staying and opened fire with automatic weapons, police said. No one has claimed responsibility.
Razakh Baloch, a member of the Baloch Human Rights Council, has called Pakistan a failed state and accused them of seeking to steal the wealth of Baluchistan: “Another robber, which is China, entered the scene. Now China is dictating to the Pakistani Army how to kill. And they are training the Pakistani Army because they are the masters of killing.” He added: “Chinese have killed Uighur Muslims, put them in jail and nobody is raising their voice against China. We want China and the Pakistani Army to be kicked out of Baluchistan. We want Pakistan to be dismantled so that the people can live in peace. Because this barbarian army has controlled everything. All these dummy political parties of Pakistan are under the occupation of Punjabi armies.”
Hyrbyair Marri, a Baloch national leader, stated, “Iran’s regime is committing a slow genocide against the Baloch nation. The events of Bloody Friday starkly remind us of Tehran’s brutal policies aimed at eradicating Baloch identity and freedom.” As MEMRI noted, “The systematic targeting of Baloch civilians, as seen in Bloody Friday and other incidents, reflects a pattern of state violence intended to quash dissent.”
As Martusciello noted regarding the plight of the people of Baluchistan and other groups in Southeast Asia, “Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes as refugees seeking asylum in Asian and/or EU countries. Gagging the media and using the local administration to subjugate minorities are some of the tactics used by these regimes. Activists and journalists who speak out disappear or are falsely implicated in lawsuits. The international response is lukewarm and only a few stories make it to the international press.”
Italian politician Giuseppino Princi concurred: “Human rights violations continue to be a painful scourge for millions of people. These violations are systemic and manifest themselves in different forms. Gender discrimination remains one of the most widespread issues, then freedom of expression, ethnic and religious minorities, forced labor, and economic exploitation. These conditions and oppressions have led to an increase in irregular migration flows to the European Union. More and more people try to escape violence, discrimination, and poverty by undertaking dangerous journeys to Europe through irregular migration channels.”
Martusciello continued that Europe must help Baloch who seek asylum in Europe: “The European Parliament has approved the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, in which asylum claims will be processed more quickly, including at EU borders. Member states can choose whether to take charge of asylum seekers, make financial contributions, or provide support for refugees from third countries. In addition, the need to protect people’s right to safety and asylum becomes crucial. Humane asylum procedures must be guaranteed and refugees must be provided with safe transit mechanisms.”
