Kurdish Porter Fatally Shot by Iranian Border Guards

Iranian Border Guards shot and killed a 33-year-old Kurdish border porter, known as kolbars, on Saturday.

The incident occurred at the Duplore border in Sardasht of West Azerbaijan province.

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reports that border guards fired directly at Ali Rasouli without warning. 

A source confirmed that Rasouli died instantly from the gunshot wounds.

Rasouli, originally from the village of Koran near Mahabad, had recently moved to Nelas in Sardasht. He leaves behind a wife and one child.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Iranian authorities for the use of lethal force against these workers, who often resort to this dangerous occupation due to a lack of economic opportunities in their home regions.

Kolbars are porters who haul goods on their backs, covering long distances on foot across Iran's borders, mainly around the impoverished, mountainous Kurdish areas adjacent to Iraq.

According to the Kolbar News website, a total of 85 kolbars lost their lives while transporting goods in the western provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah between March and September 2023.

The causes of their deaths include direct fire by military forces, blizzards, cold weather, and falls from mountains and heights.