Appeal to United Nations, United States of America, European Union, Japan, China, Russia and International Community as a whole
(5th July 2005)
Deplorably, the Iranian authorities razed to ground hundreds of shacks and homes of very poor and innocent Baloch people on Thursday June 30th 2005 in Chabar city of Balochistan.
The victims lost their livelihood and their only roof. The inconsiderate authorities of Iran used extensive force to evict Baloch people from their shacks and homes and showed no compassion to their plight. The victims resisted to teeth the destruction of their shacks and homes. In the resistance several people were seriously injured by the ’security forces’ of the regime, and a number of them were taken to prison and detained. There is no information on whereabouts and safety of these detainees and the authorities are denying access or information to their relatives.
It is reported in official media of regime, IRNA that the razed area is designated for ’security forces’ by the Department of Housing & Urban Planning.
The regime has an undeclared policy of discrimination and ethnic cleansing in Balochistan. The surrounding areas of all cities in Balochistan as in Chabar are set aside to accommodate security forces and Non-Baloch from other provinces. The regime has been pursuing this policy for a long time and succeeded to some extent to implement ethnic cleansing by providing financial incentives and other preferential treatment to Non-Baloch in Balochistan. In recent years noticeably a large number of people from other parts of Iran led by this policy to reside in Chabar and other cities of Balochistan.
The native Baloch people have been denied any assistance in relation to entrepreneurial and job opportunities in their own homeland in a systematic wicked plan of discrimination and ethnic cleansing by the regime in Iran. Balochistan is full of potentials and resources, but the Baloch people are deliberately being impoverished in order to maintain the chauvinistic supremacy of regime in Balochistan. There are hardly any facilities for Baloch people in Balochistan, whereas regime has been providing every facility such as clean water (a rare and very precious commodity for Baloch people), proper housing, jobs etc to Non-Baloch in the very Balochistan.
Baloch are technically barred from any decision making process and institutions not only in Iran, but in their homeland Balochistan. In state affairs Baloch are not represented at all. Baloch people from all-walk of life are being suppressed by unjust measures of the regime. Baloch culture and identity are under direct attack by policy of assimilation in Iran.
The Baloch victims are now without any shelter and suffering from homelessness in boiling temperature of Balochistan summer. The temperature is above 45°C in Chabar and victim’s children and elderly dependants are suffering dehydration and lack of peace and security. They have no means of seeking justice from the oppressive regime in Iran. It is alleged by the regime that the victims had no ownership document over the lands. The people in Balochistan in general lack such documentation due to non-existence of Iran’s sovereignty in Balochistan. Land-ownership in Balochistan has its own customary methods; hence people without paperwork are the legal and the only holder of lands in Balochistan. The ownership-papers must be provided to Baloch people, not denied.
We urge you all to exert sufficient pressure on the regime to abandon eviction of innocent Baloch people in Chabar and seek assurances for unconditional release of all the detainees, allocation of lands and re-housing of the victims in Chabar. More importantly, the regime must be required to discard its wicked ethnic cleansing policy in Balochistan as it undoubtedly seeds hatred and unnecessary ethnic conflicts.
Your actions are vital to the plight of hundreds of poor homeless women, children and elderly peoples in Chabar, Balochistan. Please be passionate and involved.
Regards,
Balochistan Rights Watch
balochwatch@yahoo.com |
