In a troubling escalation of violence, Iranian border guards shot and killed 19-year-old kulbar Kian Zini and injured two others near the Sardasht border on Tuesday.
This incident is part of a series of attacks on kulbars (cross-border porters) by Iranian security forces, underscoring the severe risks faced by these workers who transport heavy loads across borders to support their families. According to a local human rights organization, the shooting occurred in the Qandil Heights area without prior warning. The wounded kulbars, identified as Kiwan Qadri and Piyman Qadri, were transported to a hospital in Sardasht where they underwent surgery. All three kulbars are from the village of Reshehrmeh, near Sardasht.
On the same day, another kulbar, Sirvan Rasuli, 32, was injured by pellet gun fire from border guards in Baneh. Kulbar News reported that this attack is one of many in recent days. Over the past ten days alone, direct military fire has resulted in the deaths of at least two kulbars and injuries to 13 others, including a child.
The frequency and severity of attacks against kulbars have been increasing.
Reports indicate that on July 7, government forces wounded Ribwar Rashidi at the Baneh border in Kurdistan Province and injured a child kulbar, Sina Nadri, at the Nowsud border in Kermanshah Province. Additionally, on July 8, forces fired on eight kulbars in the Nowsud and Baneh border areas, resulting in the death of Eyub Muhammadi and injuries to seven others: Masiḥ Muradi, Eyub Muradi, Maḥdi Basharti, Mehran ʿAbdi, Piyman Veysi, Ṣamiʿ Zaraʿi, and Nawid Ḥasani.
Further incidents include the injury of Muhammad Dari in the Nowdasheh area on July 14 and Ahmad Malaʾi, who was shot in the abdomen on July 15.
A Kurdish organization previously reported that in the first half of 2024 alone, 33 kulbars were killed and 254 were injured in western Iran. High unemployment and pervasive poverty in Kurdish regions drive individuals to engage in kulbari. Despite the physical toll and inherent risks, many see it as their only means of survival.
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