Zahedan: Simultaneously with the continuation of Friday protests in Zahedan, four Baloch citizens arrested by the security forces on 3 January 2023 have been severely tortured by the security forces for forced confessions.
According to the sources of the Atlas of Iranian Prisons, Yasin Kobdani, 19 years old, son of Gholam Ali, Benyamin Kohkan, 17 years old, and Elias Kohkan, 19 years old, both children of Hamidreza and Mohammad Darwish Naravii, 19 years old, son of Abdul Rahman, all from Zahedan, on 4 February 2023 after being arrested by the security forces, they were taken to Zahedan Intelligence Police Detention Center. These four Baloch citizens were not allowed to make phone calls and meet with their families until 5 February 2023, when they were transferred from the detention center of this organization to Zahedan prison. During this period, despite the repeated follow-ups of their families, the judicial and security officials of this city refused to respond to them.
Simultaneously with the arrest of these Baloch citizens, the security forces went to their homes, and while searching the houses, they seized six cars of these people and their families and took them with them.
One day after the arrest of Yasin Kobdani, Benyamin Kohkan, Elias Kohkan, and Mohammad Darwish Naroi, on Tasnim news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a video of the forced confessions of these detainees, in which Benyamin Kohkan and Yasin Kobdani were forced to confess against themselves that they had shot at Police patrol cars in Zahedan.
According to the sources of the Atlas of Iranian Prisons, Benyamin Kohkan was subjected to severe physical and mental torture in the Zahedan Intelligence Police Detention Center. In addition to the charge of shooting at police patrol cars, he was also accused of one count of “murder” that occurred last year. Given. The murder case attributed to Benjamin Kuhken has been sent to Zahedan Investigation Branch Three.
In the court session that was held sometime after Benjamin Kuhken’s arrest, he informed the judge that he was severely tortured, but the judge, ignoring his statements, replied: “You must die or stay; you must take responsibility for this murder.”
Also, on the 15th of Bahman, the mother of Benyamin and Elias Kohkan had the opportunity to meet her children in Zahedan prison for a short time. In this meeting, Benyamin informed his mother that during the period of detention, he was subjected to severe physical and mental torture. By showing the blisters on the soles of his feet, he said that the security forces severely beat him with a hose and sexually harassed him. He also reported that he fainted twice due to torture in the detention center and said he was taken to the medical center by ambulance.
According to a source informed by Atlas, Binyamin Kohkan committed suicide by drinking toilet fluid in the Zahedan Prison Children and Adolescent Center due to severe torture and sexual harassment by the interrogators. This action of his caused the prison officials to transfer him to the Zahedan Intelligence Department. The prison authorities have also cut off the phones of this center for 24 hours after this incident.
At the same time as the uprising in different regions of Iran, which started after the killing of Zina Amini, massive protests also took place in Sistan-Baluchistan in response to the Chabahar police commander’s assault on a 15-year-old Baloch girl. Protests are still going on. After the 8th of Mehr, known as the “Bloody Friday of Zahedan,” after the security and military forces fired directly at the people and killed nearly a hundred, Baloch citizens have come to the streets for eighteen consecutive Fridays and protested against Ali Khamenei, Iranian Basij paramilitary forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
