Three months into Iran’s nationwide uprising, cities in Sistan and Baluchistan province, southeast Iran, demonstrated the extraordinary bravery of locals, primarily from the oppressed Baluchi minority, who rejected the regime’s attempts to portray them as separatists. Despite the regime’s harsh crackdown on previous protests in this province, which resulted in the deaths of over 130 unarmed protesters, demonstrators took to the streets, chanting slogans against Iran’s ruling theocracy, particularly Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

 

Following these protests, dozens of other demonstrations took place across Iran, particularly in Arak and Izeh, where locals gathered to honor the martyrs and chanted, “We shall fight and take back Iran.”

These protests occurred just a few days after Khamenei dispatched his top henchman, Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami, to Sistan and Baluchistan province, where he attempted to intimidate the public while claiming “reforms.”

Salami was Khamenei’s second visit to the troubled province in the last three months. Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, Khamenei’s special representative, visited Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan, and met with Sunni clerics in an attempt to defuse tensions and portray the conflict in Sunni-dominated cities as a “mistake.”

 

 

People poured into the streets a few days later, debunking the regime’s claims of reform or the futile efforts to downplay the cold-blooded killing of innocent civilians.

Last Friday’s protests, in which people called out the entire regime, demonstrate the growing public vigilance and awareness. “We didn’t sacrifice martyrs to negotiate with the murderous leader,” locals chanted, referring to Khamenei.

Baluchi protesters held signs and placards while chanting slogans in solidarity with other regions of Iran, particularly their Kurdish brothers. They emphasized the common enemy, the ruling theocracy, by saying, “Kurds and Baluchis are brothers; they are Khamenei’s enemy.”

But what distinguished last Friday’s demonstrations in Sistan and Baluchistan was the widespread presence of Baluchi women on the protest frontlines. Women in this province earned their place as uprising trailblazers by leading the Friday protests in one of Iran’s most conservative regions. “With or without Hijab, onward to freedom,” they were heard chanting.

 

 

Their presence, as well as their slogan, rejects the Iranian regime’s and pundits’ theory that the demands of Iran’s democratic revolution, particularly those of women, are limited to some basic needs rather than freedom, democracy, and regime change.

The continuation of protests, against all odds, not only demonstrates the people’s unwavering determination to bring about regime change, but also heralds the start of a new era in Iran, and fear has shifted to the regime’s camp.

In his final speech on November 26, Khamenei claimed that the demands of the people were those shouted by his paid agents in state-staged protests. As a result, people’s slogans like “death to Khamenei” and “death to the dictator” referred to him as a buff.

 

This bravery deserves more concrete international support and practical ways to end the regime’s brutality, such as recognizing the Iranian people’s right to self-defense and severing all ties with Tehran. These actions would send a strong message to Khamenei, putting his regime on the verge of collapse.

 

 

 

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MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTub