Porters Continue to Be Sacrificed; Three Porters Killed and Wounded at Maku Border
In recent days, at least three porters have been killed or wounded following direct fire from Iranian border guard forces.
According to a report by the Hengaw Human Rights Network, on Monday, April 8, following direct fire from Iranian armed forces at a group of porters in the “border highlands” of Bazargan district in Maku county, a 24-year-old porter named Burhan Jenianlou was killed and two other porters were wounded.
According to this report, the two wounded porters, whose identities remain unclear at this moment, are currently under medical care after being transferred to one of the medical centers in Maku county.
Previously, Voice of America reported, citing this human rights organization, that in 2019, at least 76 porters lost their lives in the border areas of Kurdistan, and 176 others were wounded; this figure represented an 8.3 percent increase compared to 2018, when the number of killed and wounded was reported at 231.
In recent years, dozens of porters, who are forced into porter work due to economic difficulties, have lost their lives. In addition to dangers such as falling from mountains and freezing, shooting at porters in recent years has claimed the lives of dozens and wounded dozens more.
This is while even Iran’s own officials acknowledge that the volume of contraband brought in by porters is very insignificant compared to smuggling from other routes.
The United States has repeatedly condemned systemic financial corruption among members of Iran’s ruling class, the plundering of this country’s natural resources by leaders of the Islamic Republic regime, and the extraterritorial adventures of the system governing Iran, considering them among the main causes of economic and financial problems for various segments of the Iranian people.
Source: Voice of America
