Zoleikha Tar Zehi was born in 1934 to Ghol Mohammad, an Afghan national. She had been living in Zahedan, a city in southeastern Iran, for many years.
On September 30, 2022, during the protests on what is now called “Bloody Friday” in Zahedan, Zoleikha Tar Zehi tragically lost her life at the city’s Grand Mosque after inhaling tear gas fired by the regime’s security forces to suppress the protests.
Zoleikha Tar Zehi, of Afghan descent, was a vulnerable member of the community, not only due to her age but also because of her status as an Afghan immigrant in Iran. After her death, her family was threatened by the Iranian security forces. They were told that if they publicized her death, their residency cards would not be renewed, leaving them in an even more precarious situation.
Zoleikha Tar Zehi was an elderly woman, 88 years old, an innocent bystander, whose life was abruptly ended simply because she was present in the mosque during the protests.
Two More Baloch Women Killed by Iranian Regime Forces
On September 30, 2022, two Baloch women were critically injured during an attack by the Iranian regime’s forces on the Makki Mosque in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran. Tragically, both women later succumbed to their injuries.
The first victim was Jan Bibi Narouei, the daughter of Mousa. On that fateful Friday, as she attended prayers at the mosque, Jan Bibi was exposed to a combination of tear gas and toxic substances released by the security forces. The exposure severely damaged her lungs, and after struggling with respiratory failure for two months, she passed away.
The second victim, Zar Bibi Esmail Zehi, a 60-year-old woman, was also wounded during what has come to be known as “Bloody Friday” in Zahedan. On that evening, as she stood in the yard of her home, she was struck in the back by a bullet fired by regime forces, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. After undergoing surgery, Zar Bibi was cared for at home under constant medical supervision. However, on February 20, 2023, after battling severe infections from her injuries for 143 days, she passed away.
The events of September 30, 2022, also known as “Bloody Friday”, were a dark day in Zahedan. As worshipers were leaving the Makki Mosque after Friday prayers, forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) opened fire on the crowd. At least 100 people, including 16 children, were killed, and many more were injured in one of the bloodiest crackdowns in Iran’s recent history.
