Sept 29 (Reuters) - Protesters faced off with security forces in Iran's restive southeast on Friday to mark the anniversary of a Sept. 30, 2022, crackdown by security forces known as "Bloody Friday", according to rights groups and social media videos.

Videos posted on the X platform by the Iran Human Rights (IHR) group showed marchers confronting security forces in Zahedan, capital of the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, as apparent sounds of shooting are heard.

IHR and the Baluch rights group Hal Vash said at least 23 people had been injured.

In the Sept. 30 crackdown, security forces killed at least 66 people, according to Amnesty International. Authorities accused protesters, angered by the alleged rape of a girl from the Baluch minority by a police commander, of provoking the clashes.

Internet monitor Netblocks reported a "significant disruption" to the internet in Zahedan on Friday, saying authorities had "systematically shut down telecoms to suppress weekly anti-government protests."

Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of Iran's poorest provinces.

 
Human rights groups say the Baluch minority, estimated to number up to 2 million people, has faced discrimination and repression by the regime in Iran for decades.