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Iranwire – Iranian border forces shot and killed a kolbar on Wednesday in the highlands near the Iraqi border, a human rights organization reported.
Rebwar Mohammadzadeh, 38, was transporting goods in the Surkew border area when he was shot in the early morning hours, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Mohammadzadeh, a resident of Sepidar village in Baneh, died instantly from live fire, the group said. He was married and the father of two children.
Kolbars are informal laborers who carry goods across Iran’s mountainous borders on foot or horseback.
Rights groups have documented a rise in the killing of these workers by Iranian security forces in recent months.
In 2024, deaths and injuries among border porters in Iran’s western provinces rose by 15 percent, with 345 kolbars affected by violence and harsh conditions.
Casualties recorded in West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah provinces included 59 deaths and 286 injuries.
According to Kolbar News, 75 percent of these incidents were caused by direct gunfire from Iranian military forces, with 259 kolbars shot during the year.
The report also noted that 22 victims were children under 18, including one minor who died from exposure to freezing temperatures.
