Mowlavi Davood Tamandani, a prominent Baloch cleric from Taftan, Sistan-Baluchestan province, was arrested by Iranian security forces after a protest against mining activities in the area. Tamandani, the imam of Koteh village, was detained on the evening of October 22, 2024, along with Nazar Tamandani, a social activist from the same village.
The protest against the mine extraction took place earlier in the week, on October 21, and led to the arrest of Karimbakhsh Kurdi-Tamandani, a Baloch social activist and the founder of the “Save Taftan Nature” campaign. Kurdi-Tamandani had been delivering a speech at the protest when he was taken into custody by intelligence officers from Khash and Taftan.
Following their arrests, all three individuals—Davood Tamandani, Nazar Tamandani, and Karimbakhsh Kurdi-Tamandani—were transferred to undisclosed locations. Authorities have not provided any information regarding their charges or current status.
The arrests come amid growing concerns about the treatment of environmental and political activists in Iran, particularly in Baloch-majority regions such as Sistan-Baluchestan.
