Two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Islamic Republic’s elite military corps, have been shot dead by unknown persons in Zahedan, in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. That reports Tasnim news agency. The shooting happened nearly three weeks after heavy riots broke out in the city. Authorities have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators, they said on Tuesday.
On September 30, there were still heavy riots in the city, located in one of the poorest regions of the country. Dozens of people were killed, including members of the security forces.
State media initially reported that “extremists” attacked police stations. However, an influential Sunni leader accused law enforcement of shooting people gathered at a mosque after a girl was allegedly raped by a police officer.
As of Friday, hundreds of people took to the streets in Zahedan chanting slogans against the authorities, according to images circulated on social media. Local police said 57 “rioters” were arrested, reports Irna news agency. The province of Sistan and Baluchistan, on the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, has often been the scene of attacks or riots between law enforcement and armed groups.
The recent violence in the city coincided with anti-government protests across the country following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Dozens of people have been killed in the protests, which have been violently crushed by law enforcement. On Tuesday, among others, students protest in the capital Tehran. They accuse the security forces of using violence against a rally in a school on Monday/yesterday. At least one student was hospitalized.
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