Asad Spandar, 24-Year-Old Kolbar, Shot Dead by Islamic Republic Forces

Asad Spandar, a 24-year-old from Sardasht, was shot dead by the Islamic Republic's border forces while engaged in kolbari (carrying goods) in the border area between Iran and Iraq. According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, this kolbar from the village of Qoleh-Suvir was shot in the early hours of Friday, September 9, at the Alavatān border in the Baneh district of Kurdistan province. The organization reported that in the past month alone, at least 26 kolbars, including a 15-year-old child, have been killed or injured at the Kurdistan border. Hengaw previously reported that from the beginning of 2024 until August 8 (from January 11, 1402 to August 18, 1403), 45 kolbars and traders were killed, and 261 other kolbars were injured. Human Rights Watch announced in a report on July 9 of this year that government agents of the Islamic Republic use 'excessive and lethal force' against 'predominantly Kurdish' kolbars. Armed agents of the Islamic Republic, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have targeted hundreds of kolbars and traders in the border areas of three provinces: West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah, under the pretext of 'fighting smuggling' over the past few decades. Unemployment and poverty are among the factors driving border residents to kolbari or carrying goods. Two human rights organizations have warned about the 'alarming situation' in Iran, stating that immediate international attention is necessary. Hengaw reports that since the beginning of 2024, 347 prisoners have been executed in Iran. Additionally, IRGC forces shot at a vehicle in Khash, resulting in five casualties, including two children.