According to *the Balochistan Human Rights Group, on Saturday, March 22, 2025, a Baloch prisoner named *Mehrdad Nabatzehi died under suspicious circumstances in Chabahar Prison. Prison authorities have claimed that he “committed suicide by hanging,” but his family and fellow inmates have rejected this claim, demanding access to CCTV footage and a transparent explanation from officials.
Prisoner’s Identity: Mehrdad Nabatzehi, 27 years old, son of Jan Mohammad, from the village of Parood in Rask County.
Doubts and Witness Testimonies
Sources from the Balochistan Human Rights Group report that Mehrdad Nabatzehi was arrested five years ago on murder charges in Rask and had since been held in Chabahar Prison. On Friday, he was found dead in a prison restroom under unclear circumstances, with authorities attributing his death to suicide.
However, his family refutes this claim, emphasizing that all areas of the prison, including restrooms, are under CCTV surveillance. They question:
“If Mehrdad truly committed suicide, why won’t they show us the footage? If there are no cameras, how could such a suspicious death occur without any oversight?”
Additionally, some fellow inmates informed the family that Mehrdad did not commit suicide but was murdered. According to their account, while he was performing ablution, a Kurdish-style trouser was thrown over his head from behind, and two or three others held his hands and strangled him with a rope. Bruises were also visible on his hands, suggesting a struggle.
Serious Concerns Over the Safety of Baloch Prisoners
This suspicious death comes just days after Karim Rigi, a 55-year-old Baloch prisoner from Zahedan, died in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz due to cardiac arrest and lack of timely medical care. He had been in legal limbo since 2021 without a final verdict. Despite several days passing since his death, his body has yet to be handed over to his family, who are forced to shuttle between the morgue, forensic medicine, and prison authorities.
These consecutive incidents have raised serious concerns about the health, safety, and legal rights of Baloch prisoners.
