Young supporters of the PMOI Resistance Units displayed banners and placards in Zahedan commemorating the victims of the 2022 Bloody Friday massacre and the PMOI militia of September 27, 1981, while reaffirming opposition to dictatorship in all forms.
On Friday, September 26, 2026, young members and supporters of the PMOI Resistance Units carried out a series of activities in Zahedan, marking the memory of those killed during the city’s Bloody Friday massacre in 2022 and commemorating the PMOI militia members killed during the September 27, 1981, confrontation with the regime.
The activities featured banners and placards carrying messages associated with Massoud Rajavi and Maryam Rajavi, alongside slogans rejecting dictatorship and calling for continued resistance against Iran’s regime.
The activities also highlighted the continuing importance of Zahedan and Sistan and Baluchestan in Iran’s protest movement. By publicly displaying these messages, the Resistance Units sought to connect the memory of those killed in the 2022 uprising with the broader history of political resistance in Iran.
Honoring the victims of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday
The activities recalled the victims of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday, when security forces opened fire on protesters and worshippers on September 30, 2022. The massacre became one of the most consequential episodes of the 2022 uprising in Sistan and Baluchestan, with large numbers of people killed and wounded.
Messages displayed during Friday’s activities paid tribute to the victims and to the people of Sistan and Baluchestan who have continued to face repression.
Among the messages attributed to Massoud Rajavi were calls to honor the victims of the region and to expand resistance across Iran. One message stated:
“Greetings to the martyrs and oppressed people of Sistan and Baluchestan.”
Another called for the expansion of the uprising throughout Iran, linking resistance in Baluchistan with the wider struggle against the regime.
Messages attributed to Maryam Rajavi similarly emphasized the enduring memory of Bloody Friday. One declared that the massacre had filled hearts throughout Iran with anger, while another stressed that the killings in Zahedan and other crimes committed in Baluchistan under successive systems of dictatorship would not be forgotten.
A link between past and present resistance
The Resistance Units also commemorated the PMOI militia members associated with the September 27, 1981, events, known in the PMOI’s historical narrative as the “September 27 epic.”
The juxtaposition of the two commemorations reflects an effort to present Iran’s current resistance movement as part of a longer history of opposition to authoritarian rule. The Zahedan activities connected the sacrifices of the 1980s with those of the 2022 uprising, particularly emphasizing the role of young people in sustaining resistance.
Messages attributed to Maryam Rajavi described the Zahedan uprising as part of a continuing struggle against Iran’s ruling system and stressed the determination of protesters to pursue fundamental political change.
“No to Shah, No to Mullahs”
A prominent feature of the activities was the rejection of both the current regime and the restoration of the former monarchy.
Placards and slogans included:
“We want neither Shah nor mullah. Damn the dictators.”
Another slogan declared:
“From Zahedan to Tehran, death to the oppressor, whether he is Shah or leader.”
These slogans reflect the PMOI’s stated opposition to both monarchical and clerical dictatorship and its advocacy of a democratic republic.
The activities therefore combined commemoration with a contemporary political message: that the memory of those killed in Zahedan should be tied to continued opposition to dictatorship rather than confined to remembrance alone.
Resistance continues in Zahedan
The September 26 activities demonstrate how the PMOI Resistance Units continue to use public displays, banners and slogans to commemorate victims of repression while promoting their political message inside Iran.
For the participants, honoring the victims of Bloody Friday and the September 27, 1981, PMOI militia members was presented as part of an ongoing struggle against Iran’s regime. The activities in Zahedan also reaffirmed the Resistance Units’ message that the sacrifices of those killed in past confrontations remain connected to the current demand for an end to dictatorship and the establishment of a free Iran.