An urgent appeal to:

Untied Nations General Secretary, President Bush, President of European Union Commission, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International

 

 

 

 

Dears,

 

The Iranian authorities soon after the shamble presidential election carried out a heinous act upon poor and deprived people of Balochistan. They destroyed several huts and homes of very needy people on Thursday, 30th June 2005 in the port city of Chabar in Balochistan. The Baloch victims resisted the destruction of their huts and homes as the atrocious act made innocent women, children, elderly and their families totally homeless in the soaring heat of 44°C. They found themselves with no roof over their heads.

 

Ms Mahganj Bahok a devastated woman with a shivering cry told the regime’s official reporter of IRNA, now that her only hut is destroyed and flattened by authorities she and her children have lost everything and have absolutely nowhere to go and seek shelter. Mr Durmohammad Baha an unskilled worker who had a primitive life complained bitterly and told IRNA reporter that the regime did not show any consideration to their plight and destroyed their roofs on them. 

 

In the resistance over the destruction of huts several people were seriously injured as the security forces disproportionately used force. There are also reports that many are detained and being interrogated for their just resistance. The fate of these detainees is kept secret by the regime.

 

The regime carried out the destruction on a strategic plan of ethnic cleansing. It is an open secret that the regime aims to marginalise Baloch from urban areas such as Chabar and allocate most of the valuable lands to non-Baloch people. To pursue this dreadful policy the regime provides substantial preferential treatments and financial incentives to people from outside Balochistan, while rightful Baloch are kept deprived of any access to basic amenities such as water let alone clean drinking water, education, health, job opportunities, economical resources of the region, housing; and any proper and meaningful representation in state affairs. The IRNA reported that the area concerned is designated especially for the security forces according to the plan by the department of Housing & Urban Development.

 

As it is a duty of a state to make provisions for safety and security of its citizen, the Iranian regime is in flagrant violation and breach of its obligations in Balochistan as outlined above. Clearly it amounts to discrimination against Baloch people and ethnic cleansing of Baloch from their rightful land, Balochistan.

 

Balochistan National Movement-Iran urgently seeks your utmost attention to the deteriorating situation of hundreds of homeless Baloch in Chabar as their sufferings are acute, actual and above all excruciating. In Iran there is no venue and state mechanism for these Baloch victims to seek justice. Unless there is a concerted and sufficient pressure from international community, the regime not only neglect these victims but will see this destruction as a measuring scenario to test the degree of resistance of Baloch to the wider policy of marginalisation and ethnic cleansing.

 

To assist these victims the BNM proposes setup of an exploratory team from the international community led by the UN charged with a fact-finding task. In addition clarification on the situation can be sought by you; and the authorities are urged to release innocent detainees immediately and unconditionally, to halt further destruction and to allow victims back to their lands and compensate for losses they incurred. 

 

Your help and prompt actions are vital to hundreds of Baloch children, women and needy peoples who suffered from regimes desire to displace and deny them their huts, so please help now. 

 

 

Regards,

 

Balochistan National Movement-Iran

(Balochistan Raji Zrombesh)

 

July 3rd 2005