Human rights sources report that a kolbar from Saqqez was killed in the early hours of Wednesday, July 25, by direct gunfire from border guards in the border area of Bastam, located in the "Sershiv" district of Saqqez. The Kolbar News website identified the deceased as Hassan Tofighzadeh (Hassan Iraqi), 65 years old, from Saqqez, stating that his body has been transferred to the forensic medicine department in Saqqez. According to Hengaw, a total of 290 Kurdish kolbars and merchants were killed or injured by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic in 2022. The situation of kolbars in the Islamic Republic of Iran has become a human rights issue over the years. Iranian officials consider kolbari a form of smuggling, but many critics and activists, pointing to poverty, widespread unemployment, and existing inequalities, describe kolbari as the only means of "survival" for a segment of the Iranian population. A plan to regulate kolbari was introduced in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in late April last year, but there has been no news of its review and approval so far. A 19-year-old youth was killed in Baneh "by the Revolutionary Guards officers". Mohi al-Din Ebrahimi, a jailed kolbar, was "executed". Another kolbar was killed at the Sardasht border "by the gunfire of the Revolutionary Guards". The killing of a kolbar in the border areas of Baneh continues with direct fire; one kolbar was killed and two others were injured.
A Kolbar Killed by Direct Gunfire from Border Guards in Bastam
A 65-year-old kolbar named Hassan Tofighzadeh was killed by gunfire from border guards in Bastam, highlighting the ongoing violence against kolbars in Iran. Human rights organizations report that hundreds of kolbars have been killed or injured in recent years, raising concerns about their treatment and the socio-economic conditions that drive them to this work. This incident underscores the broader human rights crisis faced by marginalized communities in Iran.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Iranian border guards killed a kolbar named Hassan Tofighzadeh in Bastam.
- Iranian border guards attack Hassan Tofighzadeh
- Iranian authorities execute Mohi al-Din Ebrahimi
- Revolutionary Guards attack kolbars
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The killing of kolbars underscores the violent repression faced by impoverished communities in Iran.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%