Strike and Gathering of People in Baneh in Protest Against the Killing of Two Kolbars

Simultaneously with reports of shop closures and strikes in the city of Baneh, Kurdistan, ILNA news agency reported that the gathering of the people of Baneh in protest against the killing of two kolbars continued on Tuesday, September 14, for the second day. According to ILNA, on Monday, September 13, following the shooting by Baneh border guards at kolbars, two individuals named 'Heydar Faraji', 21 years old, and 'Ghadir Bahrami', 45 years old, were killed, one of whom was the village chief of Baneh. In protest of this incident, the families of the kolbars and local people gathered in front of the Baneh governor's office on Tuesday, demanding that the governor's office address this issue. The protesters believe that since there are limited employment opportunities in the border areas of Kurdistan and young people resort to kolbari out of necessity, the safety of kolbars must be ensured. In this regard, the Telegram channel of the Free Workers Union of Iran announced that the people of Baneh shut down their businesses and held a protest gathering, stating: 'The protesters demanded an end to the shooting of kolbars and the dismissal of the Baneh governor.' According to this report, the protesters accused the Baneh governor's office of 'negligence' in stopping the shooting at kolbars. In this context, Mohsen Biglari, the representative of Baneh in Parliament, told ILNA: 'I am following up on the matter with all judicial authorities at the national level. I have even requested a meeting of the county security council and have asked the judiciary and other relevant institutions to address the issue so that the rights of these two oppressed kolbars are not violated.' He called for severe punishment for those responsible for the shooting incident against these two kolbars, stating that they should be 'condemned to the harshest punishment.' Meanwhile, Mohsen Biglari described the gatherings in Baneh as 'detrimental to the people' and added: 'On one hand, there is exploitation and wrongful use of them, and on the other hand, no results are achieved from them.' In another part of his remarks, he emphasized the need to organize kolbars in Kurdish areas and added: 'There should be no violent confrontation with kolbars, who are from the weaker segments of society.' This parliamentary representative pointed out that 'senior officials have promised to follow up and are supposed to closely observe the situation of border kolbars and think of solutions.' Previously, Rasoul Khazari, a member of Parliament, had stated that there are 70,000 kolbars across the country's borders. He called for the organization of kolbars in border areas. Meanwhile, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, on Tuesday regarding the killing of two kolbars said: 'I do not have accurate information about this issue, but we will definitely carry out the necessary follow-ups in the government.' In response to a question regarding the status of the Ministry of Interior's plan for organizing kolbars, he added: 'The Ministry of Interior presented the plan to the cabinet, which somewhat convinced us to allow those who earn a living this way to continue their work.' The government spokesman stated that 'the account of these individuals is separate from those who benefit from this matter' and added: 'We need to investigate why a village chief is engaging in kolbari and why such an incident occurred.' Human rights groups have described the direct and unannounced shooting at kolbars as 'inhumane' and have strongly criticized such actions by the military and police forces of the Islamic Republic. Kolbars are individuals who carry goods across the borders of Iran for their livelihood. They are primarily engaged in this work in the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah. The newspaper Shargh also reported on February 14 that 30 members of Parliament have submitted an urgent bill to support kolbars.