From the Peace Line Monthly comes a first-hand account by Habibollah Sarbazi: The Baluch people have no TV or radio which highlights their struggles. Media outlets of the Islamic Republic consistently shy away from Baluchistan, only broadcasting sanitized, misrepresentative depictions of Baluch life. These reports, which are often riddled with misinformation and lies, fail to accurately represent the human rights violations being suffered by the Baluch people. This lack of accurate representation is worsened by the absence of independent domestic publishing outlets capable of shining a light on the realities of this marginalized province. Further hampering the situation is the weak civic society which has only heightened these issues, driving hope away from those forced bear the brunt of this oppression.
In part two of our insight: For the past three years, Baluch activists have bravely attempted to break the media blackout on Baluchistan by providing current, accurate information on the violations experienced by the Baluch people. Despite the longstanding apathy of domestic media, we have endeavored to redirect the gaze of independent and international media to this overlooked region. Unfortunately, these efforts have been mostly met with indifference. Larger media outlets have consistently turned down our news stories, often on spurious grounds, despite these articles meeting professional journalism standards. The overall cooperation and support we anticipated have been disappointingly absent.
For a final point of view: I can confidently state that the Human Rights Activists in Iran, HRAI, and specifically the Human Rights Activists News Agency, HRANA, have emerged as beacons of hope for Baluchistan. If it were not for the support of HRAI and the campaign of Baluch Activists, human rights activism in Iran may have devolved into factionalism. While there are other notable independent human rights groups doing commendable work, none have been as steadfast and impactful advocates as HRAI in focusing attention on media apathy towards Baluchistan. As the Director of the Baluch Activists Campaign and representing our Baluch readers, I take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to HRANA. We look forward to their continued support in amplifying the voices of the oppressed and deprived in “Sistan and Baluchistan Province”, and helping to fortify civil society.
