10 December, Toronto: The International Human Rights Day in Canada was marked by the unity of the oppressed peoples, namely – the Baloch, the Sindhis, and the Pashtuns, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; representatives spoke of the gruesome atrocities – crimes against humanity, war crimes, massacre & genocide, political repression, femicide, killing of children, targeted killings, extrajudicial killings, torture, hanging of protesters, and enforced disappearances of civilians by Pakistan and Iran.
Speakers from different walks of life strongly criticized the dictatorial regime in Iran and the Pakistani military for committing atrocities and mainly targeting minority oppressed nations and religious groups while denying the people their right to life, dignity, freedom, and justice.
Speakers supported the democratic movement in Iran led by women in the aftermath of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish, murdered in the custody of the so-called Morality Police in Tehran for not covering her head according to the standards and norms set by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hundreds of civilians, including children, have died following the police crackdown on protesters.
Speakers particularly mentioned the colonial-style looting of natural resources in Balochistan, Sindh, and Pakhtunkhwa by the military establishment and the civilian bureaucracy in power in Pakistan, since 1947.
List of speakers:
- Asif Panhwar, Organizer, World Sindhi Congress (Canada)
- Hajan Kalhoro, Senior Vice Chairperson, World Sindhi Congress
- Bushra Khan, Secretary General, Pashtun Council Canada
- Jahangir Bukhari, Pashtun Council Canada
- Nader Baloch, Iran-occupied Western Balochistan
- Sami Jan Mengal, Baloch Human Rights Council of Canada
- Mumtaz Khan, Kashmiri leader
- Dr. Nasir Jamal Pathan, Sindhi columnist, and human rights activist
- Munir Pervaiz Sami, author, Progressive Writers Association Canada
- Abbas Syed, human rights activist
- Affaf Azhar, human rights activist
- Roohi Kalhoro, moderator
The event concluded with the presentation of a documentary by WSC – Drowned Sindh, informing the viewers of the devastation caused by the recent floods in Sindh and Balochistan.
Below is the full text of Nader Baloch’s speech
Baloch Massacre and Iranian State Violence against Innocent Civilians in Balochistan
Ladies and gentlemen,
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The 2022 Theme of Human Rights Day is – Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All.
Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights without discrimination.
Unfortunately, the Baloch people today are denied all the above rights under the Iranian and Pakistani military occupation. The same is true about all the world’s oppressed nations: Sindhis, Pashtuns, Kurds, Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, Turkomans, Lurs, Uyghurs, and Tibetans.
As the saying goes, in Iran, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman killed in the custody of Iran’s so-called morality police, has defeated the fascist dictators and unlocked the doors for a democratic future and freedom for everyone.
30 September, also known as Bloody Friday, has changed the recent course of history and politics in western Balochistan and the whole of Iran concerning the present uprising against the regime. More than a hundred peaceful protesters were gunned down in two hours by the terrorist IRGC snipers from the rooftop. Among the dead were children as young as eight years old, and three hundred were left injured.
The Baloch protesters were angered by reports that a 15-year-old girl had been raped in police custody in the city of Chabahar in early September. Her name is Maho Baloch, and she is their Mahsa Amini. The crowd that day was chanting “Death to the dictator” and “The rapist must face justice” when security forces opened fire.
The Baloch, like the Kurds, have long been neglected by the Iranian government. The area where most of them live, Sistan and Baluchistan province, is among the poorest in the country. The Baloch and the Kurds are also predominantly Sunni communities in a country ruled by a fundamentalist Shia government.
The state’s response in these areas “has been particularly brutal,” said Ali Vaez, Iran project director for the International Crisis Group. He warned that the government crackdown “further increased the risk of continued turmoil.”
Western Balochistan, like its eastern region under Pakistani occupation, is facing genocide and crimes against humanity. Hal Vash Human Rights Group has reported seventy recent deaths by hanging of Baloch prisoners in the last four months. The executions were carried out in different prisons and cities in Iran. Such brutalities are aimed at generating fear among the population and are an ongoing policy of genocide in Balochistan by the Islamic Republic.
We demand that the U.N., the Canadian government, the U.S., and the European Parliament take action now and stop Iran’s terror regime from killing and raping its citizens. Iran must be removed from the U.N. and all other international forums immediately, and all agreements with Tehran must be cancelled until further notice.
We want the free world to know that to end the bloodshed on the streets of Tehran, Balochistan, Kurdistan, Ahwaz, and Tabriz; it is crucial to support and acknowledge the minority nations and their political self-determination that constitute almost fifty percent of the Iranian population.
I want to make it very clear to our friends here that the present uprising is about the oppressed nations and the women of Iran who are heading and directing the movement.
Long live the unity of oppressed nations.
Woman, Life, Freedom.
Long live free Balochistan.
Thank you.
