Hengaw: Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic Killed Two Kolbars Within 24 Hours

The human rights organization "Hengaw" reports that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic shot and killed a young kolbar on the evening of Wednesday, November 15, in Baneh. According to the report, Jalal Heydarian, a 28-year-old from Divandere, was killed by gunfire from border guard forces stationed at the "Hengeh-Ja" border in Baneh. Hengaw states that 24 hours prior, another kolbar named Yadgar Rahimi, from Baneh, was also killed at the same border point by direct gunfire from border guard forces. Leila Marouti, a political analyst and a collaborator with the Mukrian News Agency, who resides in Helsinki, Finland, stated a week earlier in an interview with Voice of America that she believes "there is no will to solve the kolbar issue," adding that "kolbari is a result of the existing political, social, and economic inequalities in the Kurdish regions and the entire country." She noted the expansion of kolbari from border cities in Kurdish areas to non-border cities, mentioning that children, teenagers, and young women and girls are now engaging in kolbari due to "unequal distribution of wealth and resources," especially "after the revolution." Marouti added that individuals and institutions benefit economically from the continuation of kolbari and that there is no will to eliminate it. She described the statements of Islamic Republic officials regarding the "organization of kolbars" as "more of a slogan" and reminded that no fundamental actions, including creating a suitable economic environment to eliminate the kolbari phenomenon, have been taken by the Islamic Republic. She emphasized that as long as there is a "political and security perspective" towards Kurdish regions, kolbari will continue. This political analyst pointed out the lack of an official center to inform about the total number of kolbars and the number of individuals killed and injured while kolbari, stating that statistics provided by human rights organizations indicate that in the past six months of the current year (1402), about 85 kolbars have been injured or killed, mainly due to gunfire from government agents. According to Marouti, 13 of the deceased were killed, and the rest were injured while kolbari. She added that in addition to the lack of official information about kolbars, the families of victims' concerns about the consequences of reporting have further complicated access to accurate statistics regarding the number of kolbars harmed by Islamic Republic agents. Marouti discussed the reasons for the continued shootings towards kolbars, stating that despite the existence of laws regarding ownership and the use of firearms in Iran, deficiencies in these laws and the lack of oversight or adherence by Islamic Republic agents have led to many kolbars becoming victims of direct gunfire from armed agents. This political analyst reminded that even the animals of kolbars are not safe from the gunfire of armed agents and are targeted. According to Marouti, the lack of information about the fate of the loads of kolbars who are victims of gunfire has strengthened the speculation that shooting at kolbars is "deliberate" and "aimed at accessing their loads." She also mentioned that creating fear and terror among kolbars is another reason for the shootings towards them. The shootings by Islamic Republic agents left "at least 15 injured". Human rights sources report that a kolbar was killed in Baneh by military gunfire. Kolbari is on the line of death; 85 kolbars have been killed and injured in six months. A kolbar was killed by "direct gunfire from border guard forces" in the border area of Bastam. A young kolbar died in a hospital in Saqez after being "run over by a border guard vehicle". A 19-year-old was killed in Baneh "by the Revolutionary Guards". Mohiuddin Ebrahimi, a jailed kolbar, was executed. A kolbar was killed at the Sardasht border "by gunfire from the Revolutionary Guards". A kolbar was killed in the border areas of Baneh. The continued direct shooting at kolbars resulted in one kolbar being killed and two others injured.