Arsalan Rasouli, 29, from the Kurdish city of Sardasht in western Iran (Rojhelat), was directly shot by the Iranian border guards forces at 7 am on Sunday morning near the Hangazhal border crossing in Baneh, reported Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, saying that the kolbar was reportedly shot directly in the chest from a close range.
The killing comes days after the Iranian border guard killed a kolbar and injured seven others at the heights of Nowsud in Kermanshah province.
Kolbars are semi-legal porters who transport untaxed goods across the Kurdistan Region-Iran border and sometimes the Iran-Turkey border. They are constantly targeted by Iranian border guards and are sometimes victims of natural disasters. Many are pushed into the profession by poverty and a lack of alternative employment, particularly in Iran's Kurdish provinces.
According to the activist group’s data, two kolbars were gunned down and 18 wounded during the month of July, with the majority of the cases being a result of direct gunfire from the Iranian border patrol forces.
An estimated 33 kolbars lost their lives and 176 others were wounded as a result of direct firing from Iranian forces in 2022, according to data from Hengaw. At least 35 fell victim to natural accidents during that year.
Families of kolbars are among the main victims of these attacks by Iranian border guards, as the transport of goods is their primary source of income.
