Four kolbars rescued from winter freeze in Iran’s Kurdistan province
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Four kolbars suffering from hypothermia were rescued in Iran’s western Kurdistan province after emergency teams were alerted, state media reported on Saturday.
“Four kolbars that were caught due to hypothermia at Bastam border area of Saqqez were rescued,” Iran’s state IRNA news agency said on Saturday, citing Kurdistan health official Hossein Jafari.
They were rescued after emergency teams in Saqqez were alerted on Saturday morning. All four were suffering from hypothermia, according to Jafari.
Two were siblings who were attempting to rescue the others using their personal vehicle.
On the same day, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights announced the death of a Kurdish kolbar in Baneh due to hypothermia
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 kolbars are pushed into the profession by poverty and a lack of alternative employment, particularly in Iran's Kurdish provinces. Families of kolbars greatly suffer from attacks by Iranian border guards, as the transport of goods is often the household’s primary source of income.
In its annual report on human rights violations in Iran for 2023, the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network said that a total of 29 kolbars died last year. At least 19 of them were killed by Iranian border guards.
Hengaw estimated 33 kolbars lost their lives and 176 others were wounded as a result of direct fire from Iranian forces in 2023 and at least 35 fell victim to accidents.
“Four kolbars that were caught due to hypothermia at Bastam border area of Saqqez were rescued,” Iran’s state IRNA news agency said on Saturday, citing Kurdistan health official Hossein Jafari.
They were rescued after emergency teams in Saqqez were alerted on Saturday morning. All four were suffering from hypothermia, according to Jafari.
Two were siblings who were attempting to rescue the others using their personal vehicle.
On the same day, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights announced the death of a Kurdish kolbar in Baneh due to hypothermia
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 kolbars are pushed into the profession by poverty and a lack of alternative employment, particularly in Iran's Kurdish provinces. Families of kolbars greatly suffer from attacks by Iranian border guards, as the transport of goods is often the household’s primary source of income.
In its annual report on human rights violations in Iran for 2023, the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network said that a total of 29 kolbars died last year. At least 19 of them were killed by Iranian border guards.
Hengaw estimated 33 kolbars lost their lives and 176 others were wounded as a result of direct fire from Iranian forces in 2023 and at least 35 fell victim to accidents.