Deputy Interior Minister: Porters in Border Areas Are Not Targeted by Gunfire

Hosseini Zolfaqari, the Deputy Security and Law Enforcement Minister, announced on Sunday, November 5, that porters in Iran's border areas are not targeted by gunfire. According to ILNA news agency, he accused some individuals of spreading misinformation, stating, 'What has been said about shooting at porters is more of a fabrication than reality,' and added, 'Those who are shot at are not porters.' The Deputy Minister clarified that 'the issue of porters is different from that of smugglers,' stating, 'When we refer to porters, we mean individuals who travel along specific routes that have never been shot at.' He labeled porters who do not use 'designated routes' as 'smugglers' who 'cross mountains and engage in smuggling activities.' Previously, some officials and institutions in the Islamic Republic have referred to 'porters' as agents of smuggling goods across borders into Iran. This is despite the fact that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic stated in May 2016 that his fight against smuggling does not include 'confronting porters.' Porters are individuals who transport goods across Iran's borders for their livelihood. They are primarily engaged in this work in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah. Meanwhile, Iranian government agencies have only issued 'porter cards' to a limited number of porters. On November 7, Rasoul Khazari, a representative from Piranshahr, mentioned in an interview with ILNA that there are 75,000 porters in Iran, some of whom are students and have been killed while working as porters. Zolfaqari further stated that 'at one point, news was reported in a way that suggested shots were fired at porters,' adding, 'At night in the heights, individuals engage in smuggling, and border guards order them to stop; when they do not comply, warning shots are fired, but sometimes they still do not respond.' He noted that officers have been instructed to 'avoid shooting at individuals as much as possible,' stating, 'The police, border guards, and the Security Council have emphasized that shooting at individuals should be avoided as much as possible, and if it occurs, it should be done with minimal damage.' Human rights groups have previously described direct and unprovoked gunfire at porters as 'inhumane' and have severely criticized such actions by the military and law enforcement of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Reports of the deaths of several porters due to gunfire from Iranian border guards are frequently published. In September, protests were held in Baneh and Sanandaj in response to the deaths of two porters, resulting in the arrest of several demonstrators. Previously, videos and images of the mass killing of porters' horses and mules by law enforcement officers had been released, prompting protests from several representatives from Kurdistan in the parliament.