Hossein Almasi

The forces under Hossein Almasi’s command have raped seven undocumented Baluch children in one of the IRGC’s detention centres in Zahedan. The victims, ranging from 10 to 15 years old, had been arrested during a protest on Friday, November 25, 2022, and were taken to this detention centre. They were released the same day while suffering from pain and injuries caused by rape to the extent that several of them could barely walk. No agent or higher authority has been held accountable so far for the sexual torture of these children.

The majority of the protesters in Zahedan demonstrations were undocumented Baluch people whose Iranian citizenship is not recognized by the Islamic Republic and who are deprived of the basic rights such as opening a bank account. They have been subjected to detention, torture and death to a great extent during the unrest because suppressing them has less consequences for the Islamic Republic than the crackdown of those who have identity certificates and enjoy the rights of an Iranian citizen.

The 2022 nationwide protests in Iran broke out following the murder of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic Republic’s Morality Police on 13 September and have continued in various forms in different cities for more than three months. According to the reports by human rights organizations, at least 469 citizens, including 63 children and 32 women, have been killed by the law enforcement and security forces of the Islamic Republic.