Hundreds of people in Saravan in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan took the streets on Tuesday in protest of killing 37 fuel porters by border Guards.
The fuel porters known as Soukhtbar were shot dead by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC.) Demonstrators took control over the governorate of Saravan in an attempt to show their anger over the systematic killing of the porters.
Anti-riot forces temporarily suppressed the crowd using tear gas. Videos received by Avatoday showed Sarbaz-Chabar road was later blocked by protesters.
Anti-government protests were also reported in several other cities of the province including Zahedan.
Officials claimed that the fuel porters were killed by Pakistani border guards. But local sources and eyewitnesses called the claim “a big lie to the public” and “a way to justify the use of violence by security forces against the protesters.”
A source in the Saravan’s governorate told Avatoday on condition of anonymity that
“A claim, which says those Soukhtbars were killed by Pakistan, is completely false and it is to prevent further protests.”
