A Porter from Baneh Killed by Iranian Border Forces, Two Other Porters Wounded
The Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported on Tuesday, December 30, that at least one porter from Baneh was killed by direct fire from Iran’s border guard forces, and two other porters were wounded.
According to reports received by the human rights organization, border guard forces at the Chouman border crossing, a region under Baneh’s jurisdiction, opened fire on a group of porters, resulting in at least two porters named Adel Alipour and Yaseen Aminpour, both from the village of “Sarsul,” being wounded.
According to an informed source, 19-year-old Adel Alipour died after being transferred to medical centers due to the severity of his injuries.
According to Hengaw, simultaneously, forces stationed at the “Hengehzhal” border post in Baneh opened fire on porters, wounding a porter identified as Freidoun Mohammadi, 33 years old, from the village of “Guyzli” in the leg.
The report states that border guard forces opened fire on these three porters without prior warning, and two other porters are currently under medical care at Saladin Ayyubi Hospital in Baneh.
In another report, Hengaw states that based on statistics it received, during November 2021, at least 17 porters and traders were killed or wounded at Iran’s western borders, with “53 percent of these cases resulting in casualties from direct fire by Iranian armed forces.”
According to the report, one porter was killed and 16 porters and traders were wounded. The highest number of casualties was recorded in Kermanshah Province with 9 cases.
Iranian authorities consider porterage to be a form of goods smuggling; however, many critics and activists, citing widespread poverty and unemployment, inequality, and other challenges, describe porterage not as a way to earn income, but as the only way to “survive” for a group of citizens and their families.
The news website “Kurda,” which covers news from Kurdish regions of Iran, reported on November 6 that officials had summoned and threatened four Telegram channels that had published news of the death of a porter named “Mohammad Khoda’i Kani Seif.”
Source: Radio Farda
