HUMAN rights organisations have warned of the “systematic mass murder” of Kurdish border traders in Iran after a man was shot dead by security forces on Friday.

“Another Kurdish kolbar was shot dead by Iranian border guards in Baneh, Kurdistan province on Friday evening,” the Hengaw human rights organisation said.

Mehran Rahmani was killed instantly, leaving behind a pregnant wife. His uncle Ebrahim Rahmani was seriously injured during heavy gunfire, its correspondent on the ground said.

A villager was also injured when Iranian forces opened fire. According to local reports the kolbars were not carrying any goods at the time they were shot at.

According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network more than 130 traders — known as kolbars — died or were killed by Iranian or Turkish border guards in 2021.

The workers — who transport untaxed goods between the Kurdistan regions of Iran and Iraq — work in appalling conditions in regions that suffer serious economic underdevelopment.

They are often pushed into becoming kolbars due to poverty and lack of employment opportunities, particularly in Iran.

Hengaw said that the killings were “systematic murder” while others have described the attacks on kolbars as part of a genocide campaign being waged against Kurds.