Human rights groups reported, and videos on social media showed, that protesters clashed with security forces today, Friday, in the troubled southeastern region of Iran while commemorating the anniversary of September 30, 2022, known as "Bloody Friday." Videos shared by the Iranian Human Rights Group on the platform "X" showed confrontations between march participants and security forces in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan province, where clear sounds of gunfire were heard. The Iranian Human Rights Group and the Baluch human rights group "Halvash" stated that at least 23 people were injured.
The Islamic Republic News Agency reported the public prosecutor in Zahedan claiming that the city was calm and that the videos of the injured were old. The semi-official Tasnim news agency stated that the police used tear gas to disperse "a few people who gathered and threw stones at security forces." Amnesty International reported that security forces killed at least 66 people during the repression on September 30. The authorities blamed the outbreak of clashes on protesters angered by the alleged assault of a girl from the Baluch ethnic minority by a police chief. The internet monitoring organization "NetBlocks" reported a "serious disruption" in internet connectivity in Zahedan today, stating that authorities "systematically shut down communications to suppress weekly anti-government protests."
