According to information received by HANA Human Rights Organization, on the evening of Tuesday, June 16, 2026, Ako Salehi, a tradesman from the village of Khoryawa in Baneh County, was seriously wounded by direct fire from Islamic Republic border forces in the Siranband border area.
According to available reports, border forces opened fire on this tradesman without prior warning, without any immediate threat, and without observing the legal requirements governing the use of firearms. As a result, Ako Salehi sustained severe injuries to his hand and was transferred to a hospital in Tabriz for treatment. Ako Salehi, son of Kamal, is married and the father of two children.
HANA Human Rights Organization regards this incident as a clear case of arbitrary and disproportionate use of firearms against a civilian. The use of lethal weapons against tradesmen and kolbars, without immediate necessity and without observing the principles of warning, proportionality, and necessity, is incompatible even with the restrictive provisions of the Islamic Republic’s own law on the use of firearms. This practice constitutes a serious violation of the right to life, personal security, and the human dignity of Kurdish citizens.
Strongly condemning this act, HANA emphasizes that the continued direct shooting of tradesmen and kolbars in Kurdistan is not an isolated incident, but part of an ongoing pattern of repression, discrimination, and impunity in Kurdish regions, a pattern that every year leaves dozens of Kurdish citizens dead or wounded, while those responsible remain effectively shielded from any meaningful accountability.