Government Decision to Halt Kolbari and Establish 15 Border Markets

The Iranian Minister of Interior announced the government's resolution to "completely halt kolbari" and create 15 border markets, stating that this decision will have "social and security implications." According to ISNA news agency, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said on Sunday, December 17, "It was approved by the government to completely stop kolbari, which will have social and security consequences." Rahmani Fazli mentioned that the government has decided to create 15 border markets for what it calls "human dignity." He emphasized that individuals with a minimum of three years of residence in villages will receive a border trade card to import goods through these markets, although the intention is to close these borders. Rahmani Fazli also claimed that "more than 85% of the goods brought by kolbars go from Iran to other countries and are then re-imported into the country by kolbars." His statements come as Resoul Khazari, a representative from Piranshahr, stated that 75,000 people are engaged in kolbari in western Iran. Kolbars are individuals who earn a living by transporting goods across Iran's borders, primarily in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah. So far, Iranian government agencies have only issued "kolbari cards" to a limited number of kolbars. There have been ongoing reports of several kolbars being killed by Iranian border guards. For instance, in September, protests erupted in Baneh and Sanandaj following the killing of two kolbars, leading to the arrest of several demonstrators. Previously, videos and images of the mass killing of kolbars' horses and mules by law enforcement officers had sparked protests from some Kurdish representatives in parliament. In February 2017, after the killing of five kolbars, 60 civil and political activists wrote a letter to President Hassan Rouhani and parliament members, requesting immediate condolences for the victims' families and long-term job creation in western Iran. Some officials and institutions in the Islamic Republic have previously referred to kolbars as factors in smuggling goods across the borders into Iran, while the Supreme Leader had stated in May 2016 that his fight against smuggling did not mean targeting kolbars.