Statement by Two Political Coalitions on the Occasion of the Third Anniversary of the Bloody Fridays of Zahedan and Khash
On Friday, September 30, 2022, two weeks after the beginning of the revolutionary movement Woman, Life, Freedom, the security forces of the Iranian regime, by using direct fire and live ammunition against unarmed people and worshippers, slaughtered more than 100 citizens, including children and mothers, and injured more than 300 others. This event has been described by reputable international institutions as a “crime against humanity” and a “clear violation of human rights.”
Independent reports from on-site observers and human rights organizations show that security forces used live bullets and tear gas against an unarmed crowd.
Many of the victims were shot while fleeing the scene, even though they posed no immediate threat that could justify such violence. All available evidence demonstrates the necessity of forming an independent, impartial, and international investigation.
The massacre in Zahedan was part of a broader pattern that was repeated in Khash during the same period; people who had come into the streets to demand justice and protest peacefully were repeatedly met with violent and deadly repression by state forces. We believe these incidents were not isolated events; rather, these crimes point to a systematic policy of suppressing any voice of protest and calls for justice, especially those of the nationalities across Iran.
Now, after three years, we witness the evasion of accountability by senior officials of the regime and the government’s efforts to cover up these crimes. New reports indicate that high-ranking commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had a direct role in planning and directing these attacks on defenseless people.
We believe that justice and accountability are not only the right of the victims but also an essential condition for the people of Iran to achieve a stable and democratic future. For this reason, we call for the prosecution and punishment of all those responsible for the crimes committed in Zahedan, Khash, and other regions of Iran.
The broad solidarity of Iran’s nationalities and various social groups—formed in practice during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and in response to these tragedies, showed that hope and determination for change remain as strong as ever. This solidarity must evolve into a political process and an inclusive alternative for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and the establishment of a truly democratic replacement in Iranian society.
We promise the bereaved families that we will raise your voice for justice until justice is achieved. Until that day, the memory of the martyrs of the “Bloody Fridays” will guide our path, and our collective effort for a free, secular, federal, and democratic Iran, one that respects the rights of all its citizens and never repeats the crimes of the past, will continue.
Today, on the third anniversary of that dark day, we join the grieving families and all the people of Iran in declaring once more:
The massacre of the Bloody Fridays of Zahedan and Khash will neither be forgotten nor forgiven.
We, the signatories of this statement, while expressing our deepest sympathy to the bereaved mothers and fathers, the lost children, and all the survivors, demand the following:
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The formation of an independent international commission of inquiry under the supervision of the United Nations, with full access to evidence, witnesses, and the site of the incident, so that the truth may be exposed and the main perpetrators prosecuted.
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The immediate end to all judicial repression, pressure, and intimidation of the families of the victims; ensuring their safety and restoring the human dignity of the survivors.
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Fair and transparent compensation for the survivors, and the provision of necessary medical and psychological care for the injured and their families.
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Condemnation by international bodies of the individuals and institutions that played a direct role in ordering or covering up the repression.
The Congress of Nationalities for a Federal Iran
Broad Solidarity for Freedom and Equality in Iran
October 3, 2025