"A Kolbar from Baneh was killed and two Kolbars were injured by Iranian agents."
The Hengaw human rights organization reported on Tuesday, December 29, that at least one Kolbar from Baneh was killed and two other Kolbars were injured "by direct fire from the Border Regiment forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
According to reports received by this human rights organization, Border Regiment forces opened fire on a number of Kolbars at the Choman border in Baneh province, injuring at least two Kolbars, Adel Alipour and Yasin Aminpour, both from the village of Sarsol.
According to an informed source, 19-year-old Adel Alipour died from the severity of his injuries after being transferred to medical centers.
According to Hengaw, at the same time, forces stationed at the "Hengejal" border base in Baneh opened fire on the kolbars, wounding a kolbar identified as Fereydoun Mohammadi, 33, from the village of "Guizli", in the leg.
The report states that Border Regiment forces opened fire on the three Kolbars without prior warning, and that two other Kolbars are currently receiving medical care at Salahuddin Ayubi Hospital in Baneh.
In another report, Hengaw says that, citing statistics it received, at least 17 kolbars and traders were killed or injured on Iran's western borders during November 2021, "53 percent of which were victims of direct fire from Iranian armed forces."
According to the report, one Kolbar lost his life and 16 Kolbars and traders were injured. The highest number of victims was recorded in Kermanshah province with 9 cases.
Officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran consider kolbari to be a form of smuggling, but many critics and activists, citing widespread poverty and unemployment, inequalities, and other challenges, describe kolbari not as a way to earn money, but rather as the only way to "survive" for a group of citizens and their families.
On November 6 of this year, the Kurdpa news site, which covers news from the Kurdish regions of Iran, reported summoning and threatening officials of four Telegram channels that had published news of the killing of a kolbar named "Mohammad Khodayi Kani Seif."
Source: Radio Farda
