Slain Kolber's Daughter Disputes Tehran's Account of His Death
Iran says Kurdish kolber Vazir Rahimi, killed on the Kermanshah border in July, died from a ricocheted bullet. His daughter Soma says her father was hit by the first shot fired, and that the rounds that followed were meant to make it look like warning fire.
RastinewsThe daughter of a Kurdish kolber shot dead by Iranian border guards in July has rejected Tehran's official version of her father's death.
Speaking to Rudaw, she said that, contrary to Iran's claim that "warning shots were fired" and that a ricocheted bullet caused his death, her father was deliberately killed by the first shot fired.
Soma Rahimi said her father, 56-year-old Vazir Rahimi, was killed around midday on July 3 while working as a kolber near Nowsud, in Kermanshah province.
Soma recalled that two other border guards on duty at the time pleaded with their colleague who opened fire, saying: "Please don't shoot him. He's an unarmed, harmless kolber, he's not carrying anything."
"My father was killed by the first bullet fired"
According to the young woman, the guard who opened fire ignored his colleagues' pleas and fired 28 rounds at her father.
Speaking to Rudaw correspondent Agrin Mohammadi on Sunday, Soma Rahimi said: "My father was killed by the first bullet fired. The remaining shots were fired afterward to create the impression that 'warning shots' had been fired. This statement is also recorded in the court files."
The Iranian government acknowledged the killing in its October 28 response to a joint official letter from three United Nations human rights experts, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran. Tehran claimed Rahimi was carrying a backpack and tried to flee after ignoring the border guards' order to stop. According to Iranian authorities, the guards first fired 18 warning shots into the air, then fired 10 more rounds around him.
Iran's official account stated that "one of the bullets struck rocks at the edge of the mule track and ricocheted," adding that the round struck Rahimi in the forehead and he died at the scene.
The victim's daughter firmly denied this claim, repeating that the two other soldiers at the scene had begged the shooter not to open fire.
Soma also rejected the claim that her father was carrying a backpack, stressing that he had neither belongings nor a weapon on him when he was shot:
"My father wasn't carrying anything. Kolbers in this region usually only carry gasoline across the border."
Soma also questioned why the border guards resorted directly to lethal force despite being close enough to apprehend her father, rather than detaining him:
"My father was 56 years old. There was absolutely no need to shoot him. Even if they were going to fire, they should have at least aimed below the waist."
Iranian authorities said a judicial investigation into Rahimi's death has been opened at the Paveh District Court. Tehran says the investigation includes an expert examination, a forensic report, a reconstruction of the scene, witness statements and the questioning of the soldier who fired the shots, and that the file remains under review by the competent judicial authorities.
Iran also said judicial investigations have been opened into the deaths of five other men identified by human rights organizations as Kurdish kolbers: Rahimi, Soheil Ferdowsi, Sirvan Koshi Namak, Madeh Kermani and Mohammad Tohidpaneh.