Injuries of at Least 9 Kolbers Following Border Guard Shooting in Baneh; Increase in Number of Injured Child Kolbers

Reports indicate that at least 9 kolbers were injured due to gunfire from border guards in the city of Baneh. Human rights sources report that on the evening of November 30, at the 'Hengejal' border area of Baneh, these 9 kolbers were shot by border guard forces. According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, the condition of one of the injured kolbers, who was transferred to the intensive care unit at Salakh Ayubi Hospital in Baneh, is reported to be critical. These 9 kolbers, hailing from the cities of Saqqez, Boukan, Baneh, and Sanandaj, sustained severe injuries to their hands, heads, legs, and stomachs. Hengaw also reported that at least 10 child kolbers were injured at the borders of Kurdistan in November, marking an unprecedented statistic over the past decade. According to the report, 9 of these children were injured by direct gunfire from Baneh border forces. Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, all individuals under the age of 18 are considered children. Experts state that the lack of job opportunities in Iran's border regions has led many residents to engage in kolbari, transporting goods across the border. Kolbers are constantly exposed to dangers such as gunfire from border forces, landmine explosions, falls from heights, and frostbite, with dozens losing their lives each year while kolbari. Previously, the 'Kolber News' website reported that in the first six months of the year 1402, a total of 85 kolbers were killed or injured in border areas and inter-road paths of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah provinces. Leila Morati, a collaborator with the Mukrian News Agency, considers direct gunfire from government forces as the main cause of the deaths or injuries of these individuals.