March 25, 2022
The Iranian military shot and killed at least 17 Kurdish kolbars during 2021, according to the France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
Kolbars are porters who smuggle goods through the mountains linking Iran to Iraq and Turkey. Many of them carry huge loads on their backs, while the wealthier ones have mules to carry the goods.
The KHRN report said the compilers do not believe they have uncovered all the instances of abuse by Iranian officials, but have double-checked the ones they have reported.
In 2021, KHRN reports, at least 46 Kurdish kolbars lost their lives and 122 kolbars were injured in the border areas of the northwestern provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah as a result of shootings by border forces, natural disasters, etc.
Of the 46 kolbars who lost their lives, 17 were killed by Iranian military forces and four by Turkish forces.
One child kolbar committed suicide after border forces confiscated his mules.
In addition, five kolbars lost their lives due to avalanches, three as a result of frostbite, three due to falling from mountain heights, three due to heart attacks while carrying goods, one drowned in a river, and nine were killed in road accidents.
Also, of the 122 injured kolbars, 74 were shot and tortured by Iranian border forces, three kolbars were shot by the Pasdaran, three were shot and tortured by Turkish border forces, and one was shot by Iraqi border forces, 12 fell from border heights, and three were injured in landmine explosions.
