Kolbari and sukhatabari are laborious occupations that a significant percentage of citizens are engaged in due to the lack of suitable and equal job opportunities. Every year, a large number of kolbars and sukhatabars are injured and killed as a result of military shootings, falling from mountains, and freezing in Iran.

On the fifth of Farvardin of this year, news was published about the killing of a young kolbar named “Soran Abdi” in the border areas of Baneh. This kolbar was targeted by military forces without prior warning and lost his life while being transferred to the hospital due to severe injuries. Soran Abdi was the second kolbar killed in the new year (1403) after “Peyman Ahmadi” until the fifth of Farvardin. Soran’s life story is slightly different and thought-provoking compared to what drives humans to become kolbars. In 1392, Soran played the role of “Diako” in the film “Goodbye Analog”, the second feature film produced in the artistic field of Kurdistan province, written and directed by Hiva Aminnejad, an artist from Baneh. After the news of Soran Abdi’s death was published, Hiva Aminnejad shared a thought-pro

The news was short and sad. Farewell to Suran Jan, the actor of the film ‘Farewell Analog’.

Who?

–

Tonight.

What happened?

“Shaheed Nan” translates to “Martyr Bread.”

The heavy silence and the reminder of all the film plans and days on set… Suran was a cheerful and intelligent child who was chosen for the role of ‘Diyako’ in the film ‘Farewell Analog’ during the first audition. We never saw anything but harmony and respect from him on all the days we were together with our group. I am so shocked that I don’t know which memories to write about, but I am sure that such a death was not the right fate for this energetic and lively young man. But with the gun that pointed to Suran’s chest…

I say to myself: Don’t be fooled, for you have martyred a hungry actor of cinema, damn your voice, smoke and existence…

Soran Abdí was a married man and father of a child who had not yet been born. A child who would open his eyes to the world a few months later and, years later, would learn of the fate that had befallen his father. However, Soran’s destiny could have been different. If he had the same level of prosperity as everyone else, he could have pursued acting and achieved what he had worked for.

“Kulbari is the narration of life for bread. According to the annual report of the Statistical Center, the publication and works of the human rights activists in Iran in 1402, the killing of 29 kulbars (border porters) and the injury of 353 of them by border and law enforcement forces has been recorded. Additionally, 11 other kulbars were also involved in accidents due to climatic and geographical conditions such as freezing and falling from heights, resulting in 6 injured and 5 killed kulbars. Soran Abdi, only 22 years old – as mentioned – is the second victim this year. It should be noted that every year reports are also published regarding the killing of animal packers, which usually contain heartbreaking scenes.”

Next to smuggling, fuel smuggling is also a job that exists due to the lack of job opportunities in Sistan and Baluchestan and citizens are forced to engage in it. According to the report of the Statistical, Publishing and Human Rights Activists in Iran in 1402, during the past year, 29 fuel smugglers were killed and 25 were injured as a result of military forces’ shootings.

Almost a day goes by without news related to the beating, injury, or killing of fuel carriers and porters being published. The lack of providing suitable job opportunities by the government and relevant institutions leads to the creation of fake jobs such as fuel carrying and portering. So far, individuals and relevant institutions, except for promises of providing jobs that have mostly remained unfulfilled, have not taken any steps to solve the problem of portering and fuel carrying. Porters say that the lack of income due to not having a suitable job forces them to resort to portering. Among them are also women who risk their lives for a meager income. The stories of porters about the events that happen to them during their difficult journeys are painful; they become targets of indiscriminate shooting by military forces, fall from mountains, suffer from hypothermia, and lose their lives. The leftover landmines from the Iran-Iraq war also pose irreparable dangers, such as death, to them.

It is worth mentioning that the number of porters increases during the cold seasons. This is because during these seasons, there is not much work for seasonal and construction workers, and they are forced to seek refuge in the mountains for portering.