Demolition of a Baloch Citizen’s Home by Zahedan’s District Five Municipality
According to the Balochistan Human Rights Group, in the early hours of Tuesday, July 23, 2024, officers from Zahedan’s District Five Municipality, accompanied by military forces, raided District 5 of Zahedan and demolished a legally documented residential house belonging to a Baloch citizen without presenting a judicial warrant.
The report states that around 5:00 AM, District Five Municipality officers demolished the residential house of a Baloch citizen for the third time without a judicial warrant, despite the house having a sales contract and valid documents. Reports indicate that even the intact blocks of the house were broken with sledgehammers.
The residents attempted to dissuade the officers from demolishing the house’s sanitary facilities and requested that at least this part of the house be spared. However, the municipality officers responded to these requests by saying that they should use the neighbors’ sanitary facilities.
Violation of Human Rights and Human Dignity
This action clearly constitutes a violation of human rights and human dignity. The demolition of homes without a judicial warrant and failure to observe legal principles is considered a violation of the basic rights of citizens. Such behaviors indicate the violent and unlawful treatment of ethnic and religious minorities by governmental institutions.
Discrimination Against the Baloch Minority
The demolition of Baloch citizens’ homes in Zahedan and the discriminatory behavior of the Islamic Republic against this ethnic minority demonstrate a systematic approach of discrimination and repression against the Baloch. This ethnic minority continuously faces various forms of social, economic, and political discrimination, and such actions are merely an example of this discrimination.
Serious attention to the human rights situation in Baloch-populated areas and support for the rights of this ethnic minority are issues that must be prioritized.
