In a shooting incident by the regime’s military forces targeting a merchants’ vehicle on the Mahabad highway, two merchants lost their lives.
According to Kolbarnews, on Monday, December 30, 2024, military forces opened fire on a merchants’ vehicle on the Mahabad road, causing the vehicle to overturn and burst into flames. Previously, Kolbarnews had reported the death of one of the victims, identified as Erfan Erfani, in the incident.
The second victim has now been identified as Kaveh Seyyedbaraei, a 42-year-old married resident of Saqqez.
This tragic event highlights the continued dangers faced by individuals working in informal trade under oppressive and unsafe conditions.
“Shouti” refer to private vehicles used to transport goods imported through unofficial channels into the cities of Iran. Many Shouti drivers are unemployed youth who risk their lives due to poverty, unemployment, and systemic discrimination by the government, seeking to make ends meet.The rise of the Shouti phenomenon in southern, southwestern, eastern, and western parts of Iran is largely attributed to poverty and high unemployment rates. Systemic governmental discrimination, lack of facilities and employment opportunities, the loss of agricultural prospects due to water scarcity and poor water resource management, as well as economic and livelihood challenges, have driven many individuals to take up this dangerous work.
A significant number of men and women in provinces such as Bushehr (especially Bandar Ganaveh), Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad (notably Gachsaran), Lorestan, Fars, Kerman, Balochistan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, and West Azerbaijan have turned to Shouti as a means of survival in the face of poverty and unemployment.
