Police Chief Dismissed As Activists Call For More Protests In Iran

Amid nationwide calls to hold commemoration ceremonies for those killed forty days ago in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, a new police commander has been appointed in the flashpoint region.

Hossein Ashtari, Commander of Iran’s Police, in a decree on Wednesday replaced Ahmad Taheri with Mohammad Ghanbari.

These changes are taking place following four consecutive weeks of protests after Friday payers in the provincial capital Zahedan.

Taheri was the commander of police forces in the province during the massacre on September 30 in capital Zahedan also known as “Bloody Friday” in which nearly 100 people were killed.

On Thursday, the Security Council of the province, dismissed the commander of Zahedan police and chief of a police base in the city to calm the situation.

In response to these dismissals, the Sunni Imam of Zahedan, called the move “inadequate” but “a right act” demanding the formation of an independent fact-finding committee to deal with the Bloody Friday massacre.

Last Friday protests took place in the town of Khash in the province and dozens were killed and injured after security forces opened fire at demonstrators.

Meanwhile, the anonymous groups called Youth of Tehran and Tabriz neighborhoods in a statement called on citizens to stage fresh protests Wednesday afternoon to express solidarity with people in Sistan and Baluchestan.