The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces opened fire at a group of kolbars in the height of Qandil mountain, on the border with the Kurdistan Region.
“A 19-year-old Kolbar from Sardasht, West Azerbaijan (Urmia) province, named Kian Zini, was killed,” Hengaw said.
The watchdog added that three other kolbars were severely injured.
Kolbars are semi-legal porters who transport untaxed goods across the Kurdistan Region-Iran border and sometimes the Iran-Turkey border. They are constantly targeted by Iranian border guards and are sometimes victims of natural disasters.
Many kolbars are pushed into the profession by poverty and a lack of alternative employment, particularly in Iran's Kurdish provinces. Families of kolbars greatly suffer from attacks by Iranian border guards, as the transport of goods is often the household’s primary source of income.
At least ten kolbars were killed by Iranian security forces in the month of June, according to Hengaw. The fatality count increased from that of May, during which eight kolbars lost their lives.
In its annual report on human rights violations in Iran for 2023, the Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network said that a total of 29 kolbars died last year. At least 19 of them were killed by Iranian border guards.
Hengaw estimated 33 kolbars lost their lives and 176 others were wounded as a result of direct fire from Iranian forces in 2023 and at least 35 fell victim to accidents.