Ahmed Sadeghi, 32, from the Kurdish city of Saqqez in western Iran (Rojhelat), was killed by Iranian border guards’ direct fire while he was transporting a package near the Hangazhal border crossing in Baneh, according to Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Sadeghi was the father of a 9-year-child, Hengaw added.
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.
In its monthly report for November, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) said that at least three kolbars were shot dead by Iranian security forces, including a 17-year-old, and at least 98 others were wounded as a result of being shot.
According to data from Hengaw, at least 18 kolbars were killed by Iranian border guards in Baneh over the past ten months.
An estimated 33 kolbars lost their lives and 176 others were wounded as a result of direct fire from Iranian forces in 2022, according to data from Hengaw. At least 35 fell victim to natural accidents during that year.
Families of kolbars greatly suffer from such attacks by Iranian border guards, as the transport of goods is their primary source of income.
