2006-11-01

A central component of the VIII UNPO General Assembly, held this year in Taipei, Taiwan, from 27 – 29 October, was to facilitate the discussion of specific problems facing UNPO Members, as well as potential strategies for resolving these with the help of UNPO, its Members, and its supporters.

As part of this process, a Session on the final day of proceedings, Sunday 29 October, was dedicated entirely to the presentation and discussion of resolutions submitted by UNPO Members, detailing specific problems faced by their communities, and detailing the steps that might be taken towards a peaceful and equitable solution.

The following resolution was submitted by the delegation from Balochistan and adopted by the UNPO VIII General Assembly:

Member Resolution

Persistent Human Rights Violations in Balochistan by Iranian Theocratic Regime

The UNPO General Assembly;

Whereas the policies of Iranian Government in Balochistan are characterized by human rights abuses and systematic discrimination towards Baloch people;

Expresses concern that during the last two years the Iranian intelligence agencies, particularly the Mersad group, appear to have followed a policy of “shoot and kill” instead of arresting young Baloch accused of being members of the Baloch resistance movement;

Expresses concern that since 15th of May 2006, the Iranian regime has launched a series of military operations and “war games” in Balochistan, using both helicopter gun-ships and air strikes;

Expresses concern that according to government's own media sources the regime has shot, executed, or hanged, more than 200 Baloch individuals over the past few months, relying heavily on accusations of drug smuggling, anti revolutionary activities, and cooperation with the United States and Great Britain;

Expresses concern that the Iranian regime is falsely accusing and prosecuting Members of the Baloch Community, specifically of smuggling and drug trafficking, in order to justify executions by hanging, and to obtain funds from foreign governments to fight the “war on drugs”;

Noting that although authorities argue that Balochistan is in transit route for smugglers from Afghanistan, Balochistan territory accounts for less than one third of the long route from Afghanistan;

Noting some recent specific cases of human rights violations of Iranian regime:

- On 23 August 2006, the Marsad Group attacked a village near Zahidan, the provincial capital of Balochistan, and killed two young men in front of women and children. They were forced out of their homes, to search for the members of resistance movement and weapons. The two young men had protested against the ill treatment of the women.

- On the 24th of August Amir Hamzeh Eidouzehi, a young man, was hanged in public in Baloch town of Khash, and another young men, Ali Jan Moradi, was hanged in IranShahr on 27 August 2006, both were accused of instigating public trouble and drug trafficking, a sentenced without trail.

- On the 24th of September three men identified as Ali Karimi, Gholam Koohkan, and Khodamorad Lashkarzadeh, were hanged in prison in provincial capital Zahedan. These dissidents were also executed on charges of drug smuggling and convicted without trial.

Therefore, we urge The UNPO General Assembly to:       

1. Condemn the above described violations of the basic human rights of the Baloch People by the government of the state of Iran;

2. Hereby resolve to lobby the European Governments and Civil Society to condemn the false criminal allegations of innocent Baloch citizens and the Iranian Government’s fraudulent usage of foreign funds and military weaponry and equipment allocated for drug control.
 

Source: http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=5754