Shopkeepers' Strike in Baneh, Kurdistan Continues

Reports indicate that the strike by shopkeepers and merchants in the city of Baneh in Kurdistan province continues on Tuesday, April 23. This strike began 10 days ago in protest against the increase in customs tariffs and the closure of border crossings. According to the HRANA news agency and the Free Workers Union of Iran, shopkeepers and merchants in Baneh have two specific demands: a reduction in customs tariffs and the reopening of border crossings; demands that tens of thousands of porters in western Iran are also calling for. Earlier reports indicated that shopkeepers and merchants in the cities of Baneh, Javanrud, Saqqez, Marivan, and Piranshahr had gone on a multi-day strike. Previously, according to the Mehr news agency, the government of Hassan Rouhani began implementing a plan to prevent portering and to execute "border trade with porter cards" starting from February 28 of last year in the Sirabend market in Baneh. This plan has faced protests from porters and shopkeepers as well as severe criticism from representatives of western Iranian cities in parliament since its inception. In this context, protesters symbolically spread "empty tables in the streets and alleys" in at least two cities, Baneh and Marivan. According to Rasoul Khazari, a parliament representative from Sardasht and Piranshahr, the closure of the borders has left 70,000 to 80,000 porters unemployed and disrupted the livelihoods of about seven million merchants. Meanwhile, the government's response to these protests has varied. For example, according to some local media, including the Kurdpa website, several shopkeepers have been arrested in recent days, with the number reported to be between 10 to 12. However, these arrests have not yet been confirmed by Iranian judicial authorities. According to social media reports, one of the detainees, Yadgar Sadeghi, was a young man who made protest remarks directed at Saeed Jalili, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and representative of the Supreme Leader in the Supreme National Security Council, on April 18. Alongside security-judicial responses, government officials have attempted in recent days to reduce tensions in western Iran by offering promises and hope to the protesters during meetings and interviews. The latest of these efforts was a meeting on Monday between Bahman Moradnia, the governor of Kurdistan, with shopkeepers, merchants, and traders from Baneh, Saqqez, and Marivan, along with a group of clerics and local dignitaries. Bahman Moradnia spoke of the "government's will to amend the border trade resolution in favor of the people's interests." He noted that the government has agreed to amend its resolution for the benefit of the people, stating: "So far, a 20% discount on customs tariffs is confirmed, and efforts are being made to increase this discount." Shopkeepers and merchants in western Iranian cities are demanding a 50% discount on customs tariffs. The governor of Kurdistan also expressed hope that the import of goods with representation in Iran could be allowed through the province's border markets. This government official simultaneously urged shopkeepers and merchants to "avoid distractions and focus on their work and daily affairs, and to refrain from exacerbating the security outlook in Kurdistan." Reports from Ilna and other Iranian news agencies did not mention the remarks made by the attendees of the meeting with the governor of Kurdistan. Meanwhile, according to ISNA news agency, Hossein Firoozi, the deputy for economic coordination and resource development in Kurdistan, also referred to what he described as government actions to improve the situation of shopkeepers and porters, stating: "Merchants should not confront anyone with hasty actions." Earlier, Reza Mirzaei, the security and police director of the Kurdistan governorate, stated on April 21: "Some individuals have hired Baneh merchants to undermine the reputation of the people and merchants of this city." Alongside such statements, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, also stated on April 22 that the government is seeking to "organize porter activities" in Iran's border provinces through a new plan recently approved. Porters are individuals who earn income by transporting goods across Iran's borders. They are primarily engaged in this work in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah. Over the years, Iranian media has reported on the deaths of several porters due to gunfire from border guards.