Iranian security forces arrest 57 protesters in south-eastern city of Zahedan

Iran’s state TV has reported that 57 protesters were arrested in the south-eastern city of Zahedan on Friday.

The city has been a scene of occasional unrest since a deadly clash between security forces and protesters on 30 September.

Friday’s report showed shattered windows and damaged ATM machines in the city.

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The commentary stated that some 150 people took to streets and threw stones at passing cars and people’s properties.

It described those involved as “rioters,” while a local police chief interviewed by state TV said the detainees included protest “leaders who have criminal records.”

Iranian authorities have described the Zahedan violence as involving “unnamed separatists,” without providing details or evidence.

The city has a mainly ethnic Baluch population and the September clash was sparked by reports that a Baluch teenager had been raped by a police officer.

The allegations fueled deep tensions in the underdeveloped region, home to minority Sunni Muslims in Iran’s Shia theocracy.

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