For decades, residents of Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Province have faced chronic poverty and underdevelopment amid allegations of systematic resource deprivation. Many Baloch families reportedly lack access to clean drinking water, adequate housing, healthcare, education, and essential civil documentation, limiting their ability to obtain basic public services.
Critics argue that these conditions disproportionately affect the Baloch population, an ethnic and predominantly Sunni Muslim minority in Iran. They contend that long-standing economic marginalization, limited infrastructure investment, and unequal access to public resources have contributed to social unrest and growing grievances across the region.

​GENEVA, August 6, 2026 — United Nations human rights experts have urged Iran to end what they described as escalating arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture and executions targeting ethnic minorities, particularly Baloch and Kurdish communities.

According to the experts, at least 24 Baloch and 22 Kurdish individuals have been executed so far this year, while many others are reportedly at imminent risk of execution.

“Iran’s ethnic minorities must be able to live in safety and dignity, free from discrimination,” the experts said.

They warned that minorities continue to be targeted during periods of political and social unrest through narratives portraying them as threats to national security. They also raised concerns about alleged threats and surveillance against Baloch and Kurdish individuals living outside Iran.

The experts reported a significant increase in arbitrary arrests and what they described as politically motivated sentences, often involving broadly defined national security charges.

Iranian authorities have rejected allegations surrounding their security measures and attributed recent violence to “terrorist acts” allegedly orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

The UN experts called on Iran to end discriminatory practices and ensure the fundamental rights, safety and dignity of ethnic minorities.

Source: AFP / UN Human Rights Experts

​According to local media outlet Balochistan Now, at approximately 2:00 a.m. on August 5, personnel from law enforcement agencies and the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh)—a federal paramilitary force—reportedly conducted a raid on an apartment in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi.

During the operation, five students of the University of Karachi—Azhar Baloch, Ghaus Bakhsh Baloch, Shehzad Baloch, Anees Baloch, and Waseem Baloch—were allegedly taken into custody and subsequently subjected to enforced disappearance. Their personal belongings were also reportedly confiscated. To date, no official information has been released regarding their whereabouts or legal status.

Earlier, Khalil Baloch, an MPhil student at the University of Karachi, and Zubair Baloch, a resident of Hub, were also reportedly subjected to enforced disappearance.

Reports indicate that cases of enforced disappearances of Baloch students continue to be documented across Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh. Human rights organizations and student bodies allege that many of these individuals are detained by law enforcement and intelligence agencies without due legal process.

According to monthly reports issued by the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB), students remain among the primary groups affected by enforced disappearances. Families of missing students have, in many cases, maintained long-standing protest camps, including outside the Quetta Press Club, demanding information about their loved ones and their safe return.

#SaveBalochStudents
#EndEnforcedDisappearances