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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran fired on protestors that killed an unknown number of people.
UPDATE – #IranProtests 23 Feb:
Protesters close Chabahar-Rask Route in solidarity with residents of Saravan who took over the Governor’s Office after the IRGC killed Baluchi fuel porters in Iran.
The opposition MEK says the IRGC killed 40 & injured 100+ Baluchis in past 2 days. pic.twitter.com/sXzOvyQ8cQ
— M. Hanif Jazayeri (@HanifJazayeri) February 23, 2021
Saravan is in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan.
Many people inside the city are Baloch, they have their own distinctive culture, dress, and language.
They are predominantly Sunni Muslims.
Balochistan is said to be strategically vital and has major port cities, and boasts valuable mineral deposits.
The Baloch people have been smuggling fuel or sometimes drugs.
One smuggler said, “Every month, I put my life at risk to visit the border to smuggle Iranian oil so that I can put food on my family’s table. The government has always ignored Balochistan. Unlike Punjab, we do not have factories or other major sources of employment here.” The smuggler shared he also has a PhD. but has to smuggle fuel to feed his family.
“Our lands have dried up due to a lack of rain. So, we took up this job where we risk our lives driving through granite mountains and shabby dirt roads. All our journeys are miserable, and every moment is full of risk.”
#IranProtests#SistanAndBaluchestan—in response to #IRGCTerrorists' cruel murder of at least eight Baluch fuel carriers in Saravan city, locals raided and conquered the local Governorate.#StopKillingFuelCarriers pic.twitter.com/SxX2zaprlQ
— Iran News Update (@IranNewsUpdate1) February 23, 2021
“The IRGC used heavy machine guns to fire on the porters and set several of their vehicles ablaze. The security forces later opened fire on a village that was near the area the incident took place, causing all residents to flee,” the Iranian opposition group PMOI/MEK said