According to reports received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, on the evening of Sunday, August 17, 2025, a Kurdish kolbar (cross-border porter) identified as Rahman Rasoulzadeh, married and from Baneh, was shot dead by the Iranian armed forces at the Hangjal border area of the city.
Eyewitnesses stated that government forces opened fire on him with DSHK heavy machine guns, resulting in his death. His body was subsequently transferred to Salahuddin Hospital in Baneh.
The practice of kolbari—carrying goods across the border on foot—has become a widespread and unavoidable means of livelihood for many residents of the Kurdistan border regions, due to lack of employment opportunities and systemic discrimination. Iranian armed forces frequently target kolbars with direct fire along the borders, often leading to injuries and deaths.
Hana Human rights organizations emphasize that the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians engaged in subsistence work constitutes a violation of the right to life and international human rights standards. The ongoing targeting of kolbars highlights both the systematic economic marginalization of Kurdish communities and the lack of accountability for state violence in Iran.