September 23, 2026 — Today, Wednesday, September 23, 2026, UN experts issued a press release calling on authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran to halt the use of lethal force against Kurdish Kolbars and Baluch Soukhtbars, and to conduct independent and impartial investigations into all deaths resulting from actions by security forces. The experts emphasized that Kolbars and Soukhtbars belong to severely economically marginalized communities who turn to cross-border transport of goods and fuel due to a lack of alternative livelihoods, stating that "they should not pay for their poverty with their lives."

According to the report, since the beginning of 2026, at least 12 Kolbars have been shot and killed by Iranian border guards or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces. Over the past two months alone, seven Kolbars lost their lives to direct gunfire from border patrol forces without prior warning. Highlighting two specific cases—including Madeh Kermani, 44, who was reportedly shot while carrying no cargo and whose body was subsequently removed from the site, and Milad Tabad, 28, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head, spent months in intensive care, and was ultimately discharged home due to his family's inability to afford medical costs—the experts stressed that even unauthorized cross-border transport of goods does not constitute a threat to life and cannot justify the use of firearms.

The UN experts further demanded an end to this pattern of killings, calling for the guarantee of the right to life, truth, accountability, and reparations for victims' families. They underscored that every death imposes a legal obligation on the Islamic Republic of Iran to conduct prompt, independent, and impartial investigations, emphasizing that border communities have the fundamental right to sustainable livelihoods that do not expose them to gunfire and death.

Read the UN experts' press release here.