On Friday, prominent Sunni Muslim cleric Mowlavi Abdulhamid called on the Iranian government to investigate the murder of Baluch singer Bilal Nasruyi, amid mutual distrust and tensions.
The 29-year-old from Zahedan was stabbed by unidentified assailants close to the Intelligence Department on Tuesday and died from his injuries, according to Haalvsh news, which covers the events in Sistan-Baluchestan province.
Abdulhamid urged the authorities to “investigate and clarify this matter as soon as possible since the murderers have not been arrested, and this has further agitated the people.
“Whoever committed this crime and stabbed the heart of Bilal Nasruyi should be arrested and punished,” said the top religious leader of Iran’s predominantly Sunni Baluch minority population in his Friday prayer sermons.
According to the report of Haalvsh News, after singing a protest song about two years ago, Nasruyi was “sought after” by the intelligence agencies of the Islamic Republic and “threatened with assassination several times.” He ultimately had to leave Iran but returned recently after the “clan’s elders stepped in to help”. A huge number of dissident artists and celebrities are persecuted under the regime, most recently, rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death.
According to the UK-based Baloch Activists Campaign, Nasruyi had repeatedly told his relatives that if “I die, understand that I had no enemies and that the forces of the Islamic Republic killed me.”
In Iran’s mostly Sunni Baluchistan province, the Baluch community has been among the most persecuted in Iran, with the highest execution rate.
In December, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran stated that the level of killings, torture, and brutality against the Baluch minority in Iran was “shocking.”
Javaid Rehman pointed out that the Iranian criminal justice system disproportionately targets and executes Baluchis.
Zahedan has been in turmoil since security forces, under the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), killed an estimated 80-90 civilian protesters in the Bloody Friday massacre.
However, tensions took a steeper turn recently due to the increased terror activities of the Sunni Baluch insurgent group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), which advocates for enhanced Baluch rights and improved living conditions.
Retaliatory attacks have been launched by the IRGC against Jaish al-Adl following attacks attributed to the group.
