Activists from Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan) gathered in front of the Iranian consulate in Frankfurt am Main to protest against the massacres of Baloch civilians by the Iranian regime and to show solidarity with the insurgents in the region.

A number of horror reports have been arriving from the Iranian-occupied part of Balochistan in recent days. Many people in Balochistan, one of the poorest regions of Iran, are forced to work as load carriers across the Iranian border, similar to the Kurdish population in Rojhilat. The Iranian army uses all possible force against the kolbars, who are criminalized as "oil smugglers". Extra-legal executions by the Iranian army occur repeatedly in the border area.

Massacre of protesters

By Monday, February 22, thousands of oil traders were stuck for two days at the border between Haq Abad on the Iranian side and Parom on the Pakistani side due to an unannounced closure of the border. When supplies finally ran out for the load carriers, there were sporadic protests against the closure. Iranian border forces reportedly fired hundreds of live rounds at the protesters. At least ten people died on the spot. The number of people killed rose to 37 in the days that followed, as more succumbed to their injuries. Some sources speak of many more dead, but the numbers are difficult to verify due to the difficult situation in the region.

The brutal act of repression sparked protests in many towns in western Baluchistan, Iran. Roads were blocked and vehicles belonging to the Iranian armed forces were set on fire. Protesters stormed the governor's office in the city of Sarawan on Tuesday. Protests continued in some cities on Wednesday as well.

The massacre cannot be viewed in isolation. In the resource-rich region of Balochistan, the population has been violently suppressed by the Iranian and Pakistani regimes for decades. A secular resistance movement is fighting against this.