The Dangerous Lives of Iran's Shuti Drivers

Human rights organizations say that increased poverty and unemployment are pushing a growing number of young men in Iran, predominantly from the Lor ethnic minority, into transporting items such as sanitary goods, soft drinks, fruit juice, cloth and satellite receivers from the southern Iranian ports to other areas inside the country in exchange for payment.

These individuals, known as Shutis, face many risks, including dying in road accidents or being shot at by police forces.

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Last week, the news agency Hirman, which reports on rights violations against members of Iran’s Lor minority, reported the death of a young member of the community who had been in a coma for 12 days.

On June 12, Amin Tahernasb was traveling from southern Iran to Tehran with a load of goods when police officers pursued his car with their lights off.

After a few kilometers of chasing, Amin slowed down with the intent to stop the car, but the officers opened fire, causing the vehicle to overturn. Amin fell into a coma while his brother, who was accompanying him, sustained a broken hip.

The incident happened in the western province of Lorestan.

Numerous reports document the deaths of drivers delivering cargo that has not undergone customs clearance from southern ports to major cities in central Iran.

Iranian media often attribute these deaths to speeding and careless driving. However, news occasionally emerges of dangerous police chases and shootings.

While government media hold the Shutis responsible for road insecurity and deaths, rights activists argue that these young individuals, predominantly hailing from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, one of Iran's most marginalized provinces, have no choice but to engage in this risky business.

Others believe that the extensive list of banned imports create high demand for certain consumer goods in major cities. The resulting profits serve as incentives for Iranians to engage in smuggling activities.

"Most of the goods they carry include cloth, non-alcoholic drinks, furniture and household appliances imported through southern ports without paying customs tax,” Arash Nikkho, an environmental activist and a native of Kohkiloye and Boyer Ahmad province, tells IranWire. 

“Shutis or bar owners purchase these goods at significantly low prices and transport them to central and larger provinces to deliver them to shopkeepers."

Risking their Lives to Make a Living

According to Nikkho, who personally knows several Shutis, the main motivation for young people to engage in these activities is the higher profit or salary they get. 

"I don't believe that all Shuti drivers are simply poor and doing it out of necessity because I know many non-poor individuals involved [in this activity]. They do it for the quick profits it brings," he said.

However, he acknowledges that the rising number of Shutis coincides with growing unemployment and widespread poverty. 

According to Reza Akvanian, a human rights activist from Dehdasht in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province, the main reason why young individuals, particularly those from the Lor ethnic community in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province, turn to smuggling activities is economic hardships. 

Akvanian says some drivers receive small salaries ranging from 1 to 3 million tomans ($20-$60) and that their cars are often modified to reach higher speeds. 

Shutis do not make any stops during their journeys in order to deliver their cargo promptly, contributing to the elevated number of fatal accidents among Shutis.

"Shutis put their lives on the line, and every time they leave their homes to transport goods, they expose themselves to possible accidents," Akvanian says.

"The government failed to address their situation, and with the economic policies of various administrations, the people's situation has deteriorated day by day," he adds. "Agriculture has been declining year after year due to environmental policies over the past four decades, leaving these drivers with no stable income."

Ethnic Oppression or Geographical Determinism

Nikkho believes that Shutis do not belong to a specific ethnic group, but their composition rather varies depending on the southern port they collect the cargo from and the central city they deliver it to. 

They can come from various regions like Lorestan, Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh, Boyer Ahmad, as well as Bushehr and Khuzestan, he says. 

"The cities near the southern ports are primarily transit points to central cities. Naturally, Shuti drivers are more familiar with the roads and routes in the provinces where they have lived," Nikkho asserts.

Akvanian says that in provinces with a high youth population like Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, job opportunities are limited. Consequently, many young people are driven to risky activities or are pushed to migrate to the outskirts of major cities such as Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.

Last year, the unemployment rate in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad was 9.1 percent, while the national rate stood at 8.2 percent.

According to reports from Iran's government media, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad had an annual inflation rate of 51.9 percent, making it one of the provinces with the highest inflation.