20 Porters killed, injured in border areas of Eastern Kurdistan

According to a report by Kolbar News on the working conditions and violations faced by porters, 20 Kurdish workers and porters were killed or wounded in the border areas of Eastern Kurdistan during the past six months.

The report stated that 18 of the recorded cases resulted from direct gunfire by forces affiliated with the Iranian authorities, killing 13 workers and seriously injuring five others.

It added that two other workers were subjected to physical torture and assault after being detained by Turkish security forces in the Şemdinli area.

According to the report, two of the victims were young men, Sirwan Khoshnamak and Soheil Fardousi, both of whom were 18 years old.

Kolbar News reported that Iranian forces have continued to deploy across Eastern Kurdistan’s border areas over the past six months, while surveillance has been tightened and increasing restrictions have been imposed on workers’ routes.

Porters transport goods across border areas under difficult economic conditions that push segments of Eastern Kurdistan’s population into this work as a means of earning a living, despite the risks involved. 

A-H 

ANHA