Iranian authorities under the newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian should halt their use of excessive and lethal force against Kurdish kulbars (border couriers) at the Iran-Iraq border, according to Human Rights Watch and the Centre for Supporters of Human Rights (CSHR).

These couriers come from marginalized communities and face significant dangers.

During his presidential campaign in Sanandaj in June 2024, Pezeshkian stated, “It is shameful that our youth have to engage in kulbari [transporting goods across border] for a piece of bread. We must establish a border that facilitates trade, not kulbari.”

However, just three days after his election, five border couriers were shot at the border in Nowsud, Kermanshah province, resulting in the death of one, as reported by Kurdistan Human Rights Network.

Nahid Naghshbandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch, emphasized the economic struggles faced by marginalized Kurdish communities, which often push them to engage in cross-border trade, whether legal or not.

She urged President Pezeshkian to prioritize improving the treatment of minorities, including Kurdish border communities.

On July 8, 2024, Human Rights Watch released an investigation highlighting serious violations against border couriers by Iranian authorities.

On the same day, CSHR published a report examining the socioeconomic, legal, and human rights issues affecting Kurdish border couriers. Both organizations pointed out that these couriers' hardships reflect broader systemic failures in Iran's underdeveloped border regions, where poverty drives people to risk their lives in dangerous terrain and face lethal force from security forces.

In June 2023, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission announced the completion of a review of pending legislation that would expand security forces' authority to use firearms against border couriers. If passed, this legislation would increase the risks faced by these couriers.

Shabnam Moinipour, program director of CSHR, called on President Pezeshkian to work with the judiciary and legislative branches to ensure the pending legislation prevents security forces from indiscriminately harming individuals, particularly at the border.

She stressed the importance of legal amendments to recognize and protect the rights of kulbars, ensuring accountability for perpetrators of violence.

The use of excessive and lethal force by Iranian authorities has had devastating consequences. According to the Kurdistan Press Agency (Kurdpa), in the first half of 2024, 33 Kurdish border couriers died, and 254 were injured, including 14 children, most of whom were shot by security forces. Since 2011, Kurdpa has documented 2,463 deaths and injuries among couriers in Iranian Kurdish regions.

Moinipour highlighted the neglect of these regions despite article 28 of the Iranian Constitution mandating job creation across all regions of Iran. She stated, “At the very least, these individuals should not be subjected to violence, driven by deeply rooted prejudice, from their fellow countryfolk.”