The identities of two of the deceased prisoners have been reported as Aslam Jadgal and another individual with the surname Jadgal. A prisoner from Zahedan and two others are also among the victims, although their identities have not yet been confirmed.

According to sources, the protests began on Tuesday evening after several days without food rations. A number of Baloch prisoners gathered in the prison yard and refused to return to their wards, protesting their living conditions, the insecurity in the region, and the impact of recent attacks in Chabahar. They demanded transfer to safer facilities or clarification of their legal status.

Reports indicate that as the protests continued and prisoners raised demands regarding safety and food provisions, special forces were deployed to the prison at the request of the prison director. The forces responded with violent confrontation and used live ammunition against the inmates.

Following the shooting, security forces reportedly entered the yard and beat prisoners with batons, fists, and kicks. They also initially refused to transfer the injured to medical facilities.

Dozens of wounded prisoners, some suffering gunshot injuries, were later transferred to Imam Ali Hospital in Chabahar. Some of the injured contacted their families and confirmed that several prisoners had been killed during the incident. Sources also stated that prisoners had not received any food for at least four days and had been forced to rely on limited personal supplies.

According to informed sources, the bodies of some of the victims have been transferred to a morgue. However, no detailed information has been released about their identities or the process of returning the bodies to their families. The exact number of casualties and the condition of other prisoners remain unclear, and Iranian authorities have not issued any official response.

It is worth noting that on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Alireza Noura, Deputy Governor of Sistan and Balochistan Province and Special Governor of Chabahar, denied claims of a “prisoner escape,” calling them rumors. However, independent reports had not mentioned any escape, focusing instead on the prisoners’ protest over food shortages and the subsequent shooting by security forces, which led to multiple deaths and injuries.

The identity of this Baloch citizen has been confirmed by the Balochistan Human Rights Group as “Bilal Bahramzehi Pak,” 25 years old, son of Nabi Bakhsh, resident of Nasirabad village in Sarbaz County. He was injured in the military shooting, while his companion, identified as “Shahram Watan Khah,” 26 years old, son of Malek from Nasirabad village, was killed.

Earlier sources from the Balochistan Human Rights Group reported: Shahram and Bilal had traveled to Pishin city for personal matters and, on their return around 3:00 PM, were driving a personal Toyota Land Cruiser when they were ambushed by military forces from Rask County near the Parod village junction. Without any prior stop or warning, direct fire was opened on their moving vehicle. As a result, Shahram, who was driving, was killed instantly by a bullet, while his companion was severely injured, detained by the military forces, and transferred to Rask Hospital.

It is noteworthy that the military and security forces took Shahram’s body along with his vehicle—which was completely empty of any illegal cargo—to an unknown location. Relatives who went to Rask to follow up on the body were told by officials that they could retrieve it on Sunday, July 20.

On Sunday, Shahram’s body was handed over to his relatives and buried in his home village with the presence of many local citizens.

According to the annual report of the Balochistan Human Rights Group in 2024, actions by military and security forces resulted in the death or injury of at least 208 Baloch citizens across various areas. Among these cases, 115 individuals lost their lives and 93 were injured, including 13 children and 4 women among the deceased, and 20 children and 12 women among the injured.

The Balochistan Human Rights Group (BHRG), an independent NGO, reports on human rights violations in Western Balochistan due to lack of independent media.

Key Findings (September):

• Executions: At least 15 Baloch citizens executed in Iranian prisons; 111 executed in 2024 overall, often without fair trials.
• Extrajudicial Killings: 8 killed and 2 injured by Iranian security forces in unlawful shootings.
• Killings by Armed Groups: 21 killed and 5 injured by unidentified gunmen, believed by locals to be supported by the Iranian government.
• Fuel Carriers: 12 fuel carriers killed and 7 injured due to shootings and road accidents; reflects high risks faced by Baloch workers driven by poverty and unemployment.

Overall:
The report highlights systematic violence, executions without due process, and severe economic exploitation affecting the Baloch community in Iran.

According to the Balochistan Human Rights Group, on July 2, 2025, Amer Goharhamzehi, a former Baloch political prisoner, was arrested by the IRGC intelligence forces in Rask County and taken to an unknown location. He had visited a relevant center in Rask to follow up on the status of his confiscated vehicle when he was detained.

Amer Goharhamzehi was previously arrested on January 4, 2015, and after serving four and a half years in prison, he was released on heavy bail. On July 2, 2025, he was pursuing the status of the same confiscated vehicle, which is reportedly now being used personally by some officials, when he was rearrested.

His vehicle has been in the custody of the IRGC since 2013, following a security raid in Nasirabad. During that raid, several Baloch youths, including Amer Goharhamzehi, Musayb Vatan-Khah, and Abubakr Mollazehi, were arrested, and multiple vehicles were seized by the IRGC. Despite over a decade passing, these vehicles have not been returned to their owners.

The actions of the security forces in rearresting this citizen and unlawfully retaining his personal property violate Article 32 of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Constitution, which prohibits unlawful detention, and Article 22, which states that an individual’s dignity, life, property, rights, housing, and occupation are inviolable except by law. Additionally, retaining the vehicle without a clear judicial order constitutes a clear violation of property rights and fair trial principles.

According to the Balochistan Human Rights Group, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, Molavi Fathi Mohammad Naghshbandi, the Friday prayer lmam of Rask County, who was previously released on a ten-day leave from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on May 19 and returned to the prison on June 2, was granted leave again and arrived in Balochistan via Konarak Airport.

During his previous leave, he was required to reside in Zahedan until May 25 by judicial order and was not allowed to travel to areas south of Zahedan, which sparked widespread public reactions, ultimately leading the judiciary to retract its stance.

It is noteworthy that this Sunni cleric was transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad after being detained on August 20, 2023, by the Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC intelligence forces through a deceitful tactic on the Rask-Chabahar route.

According to a report by the Balochistan Human Rights Group on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Molavi Fazlur Rahman Kohi, the Friday prayer Imam of Pashamag village in Rask County, who was arrested by security forces on October 22, 2023, and transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, has been granted temporary leave from the prison.  

Molavi Fazlur Rahman Kohi was arrested by security forces at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Zahedan on October 22, 2023, while returning from a meeting with Molavi Abdulhamid during a trip to Zahedan. He was subsequently transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. In the first week of December 2023, he was sentenced by Mashhad’s Clerical Court to five years of exile in Shahrekord, located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province.  

Previously, he had been arrested in another case in 2019 after criticizing the Islamic Republic of Iran for the crackdown on protesters in Iranian cities, known as the “November 2019 protests” (Aban 98).  

Sammi Deen Baloch is a prominent human rights defender who has actively spoken out against the human rights abuses faced by the Baloch people, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and custodial torture.

Despite facing serious threats against herself and her family, she has continued her work in the extremely hostile environment of Balochistan, shedding light on human rights violations and providing support to victims and their families. Her arrest, along with that of other Baloch human rights defenders, has further raised concerns about the suppression of civil liberties and the increasing crackdown on human rights activists.

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.

Molavi Isaghzehi, 31 years old and married, has three children. His family has not received any responses from security institutions despite repeated inquiries, causing great concern among his relatives. Two of his children suffer from thalassemia and require monthly blood transfusions, putting their health at risk due to their father’s detention.

These two prisoners stated in their testimonies that on the night they were targeted by the Zahedan Police Station No. 12 forces, they were on their way back after purchasing medicine for a newborn baby when they were shot and detained by military forces.