Rizgar Khelkani, a kolbar from Sardasht, West Azerbaijan Province, was severely injured on 8 August after Iranian border guards opened fire on a group of kolbars in the Hangeh-ye Zhal border area of Baneh, Kurdistan Province.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that the border guards fired pellet guns at the kolbars at close range and without warning.
The incident left Khelkani seriously injured, with dozens of pellet wounds to his head, neck and hand.
![](https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rezgar-Khelkani-2-825x1024.jpg)
![](https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rezgar-Khelkani-1-829x1024.jpg)