Human Rights Watch | Defending Human Rights Worldwide

Kulbars carry goods on their backs along the mountains of the Iran-Iraq border, Kurdistan, Iran, April 29, 2017.

Iran: Security Forces Killing Kurdish Border Couriers

Iranian authorities have used excessive and lethal force against predominantly Kurdish border couriers, known in Kurdish and Farsi as Kulbars, transporting goods between Iran and Iraq over rugged terrain. The couriers have limited access to justice or remedy for these violations, and Iranian authorities have mistreated those they have detained.

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