For balouchestan

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Several weeks has passed since the start of uprisings, sparked by murder of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, the young Kurdish girl, by the government “morality police” throughout Iran. Since then, widespread demonstrations have taken place all over the country with protestors chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom.” Demonstrations that despite arrests, tortures and killings of protestors by government forces, have now turned into a revolution by the people of Iran. 

This protest which started in Saqez (Birthplace of Mahsa Amini) has been carried out continuously by Iranians inside and outside of Iran. However, after the attack of military and security forces on innocent civilians attending the Friday prayer in Zahedan on September 30, 2022, the protests took a darker turn.

Khodanoor Lojei, one of the people who were shot on October 1, 2022, by government forces, died of excessive bleeding due doctors’ refusal to treat him in hospital. After his murder, a picture of a prisoner went viral on social media showing him tied to a pole with a glass of water in front of him out of his reach. There are different narratives about this image, which was taken on July 17, 2022, referring to the person in the image to Khodanoor Lojei.

At the same time, “Haalvsh” website identified the person in the photo “Khodanoor Yaghi” who lived in Shirabad, Zahedan, and stated that he was accused of robbery and arrested on July 14, 2022, along with several other citizens. 

The public prosecutor of Sistan-Balouchestan provenance recently stated that the person in this photo is “Sadegh Kabdani” known as “Khodanoor Lojei” who was arrested and freed in September 2022 and eventually killed on October 2, 2022.

Regardless of the identity of the person in the viral picture (either Khodanoor Lojei or anyone else), we need to emphasize that “to tie a person to a pole” is one of many torture techniques “Islamic republic of Iran” has been using since 1979 Revolution in Iran to break those who are arrested. But today, the form of this torture has become a symbolic gesture to keep Khodanoor Lojei’s memory alive. The Islamic republic of Iran is internationally known as a totalitarian regime, which arrested activists and other civilians, set fire to the Evin prison, and has taken the lives of numerous Iranians through brutal beatings and direct shootings.

Therefore, we as a group of Iranian activists outside of Iran request democratic governments to reduce and stop their political relations with the “Islamic republic of Iran”, as it does not represent the Iranian people. And we urge the U.S. Congress to stop the Biden administration from any negotiations and deal making with Islamic Republic of Iran.

We humbly ask you to be the voice of the Iranian people and join the fight against injustice. You can sign the petition prepared by the “DC Woman Life Freedom” group and a team of lawyers and ask your representatives in the Congress to stop any negotiations with the “Islamic Republic of Iran”, a regime that has been a serious threat to the lives and security of millions of Iranians in Iran and abroad. A regime that had executed thousands in the past 40 years and has arrested and imprisoned several dual citizens and Americans including Michael R. White and Robert Levinson.