Human Rights Organization Report: Over 120 Porters Killed and Wounded in First Six Months of 2019
At least 121 porters were killed and wounded in various border areas of Kurdistan in the first six months of the current year.
According to a report by the human rights organization Hengaw, at least 121 porters and traders were killed and wounded on Kurdistan’s borders in the first six months of the current year, with 84 percent of these individuals losing their lives due to direct gunfire by border guard forces.
Based on the human rights organization’s report, during this period 84 percent of porters were killed or wounded due to direct gunfire, 8.5 percent due to natural disasters, 4 percent due to mine explosions, and 3.5 percent due to traffic accidents.
These statistics show that Iranian border guard forces killed 27 porters and wounded 77 others through direct gunfire. On the other hand, natural disasters caused 7 deaths and 3 wounded, mine explosions caused 1 death and 3 wounded, and traffic accidents resulted in 2 deaths and 1 wounded.
According to this report, among the porters who lost their lives due to direct gunfire by Iranian forces, three porters were under 18 years of age.
Voice of America has independently confirmed some of the casualties.
In previous years, dozens of porters, who are forced into this work due to economic hardship, have lost their lives. In addition to dangers such as falling from mountains and freezing, shootings targeting porters have claimed the lives of dozens and wounded many others over the past years.
This is while even Iran’s own officials acknowledge that the volume of smuggled goods brought in by porters is negligible compared to smuggling from other routes.
In the Hengaw human rights organization’s report, it is stated that the highest number of killed and wounded porters is related to West Azerbaijan Province with 23 killed and 60 wounded.
While reports continue about the harsh living conditions and deaths of porters in Iran’s border cities, Rasoul Khezri, representative of the people of Piranshahr, described the current situation as “critical” on Sunday, June 16, and said that border closures have destroyed the livelihoods of porters.
The United States has repeatedly condemned the institutionalized financial corruption among members of Iran’s ruling class, the plundering of this country’s natural resources by the leaders of the Islamic Republic regime, and the regime’s foreign adventures, considering them among the main factors of economic and financial problems for various segments of Iran’s population.
Source: Voice of America
