Baneh citizens (including businessmen and marketers) have temporarily ended their peaceful strike in protest to ‘the blockade of the unofficial border crossings of Kurdistan and the high cost of customs on May 10’ after 25 days.
In this regard, one of the marketers has told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that businessmen decided to temporarily open their shops after 25 days. However, the strike will resume if authorities fail to fulfil the promises made to the strikers.
Earlier, the representative of Sardasht and Piranshahr arrived in Iraq with a delegation from the government for negotiations. It seems that the meeting has been successful. The government delegate has also promised to publicize the plans for organizing the passage for kolbars by approving it at the parliamentary commission.
The senior Iranian and Iraqi trade director also said, that during the meeting with the Iraqi government, it was planned to reopen the borders of the “Hange Zhal” and “Shabdin” as temporary passages for kolbars while dedicating the border of “Siran Band” as a trading border.
Baneh’s businessmen and guilds also emphasised that “the demands of protestors are not only legal, religious, and humane but also in accordance with article 28 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, Everyone has the right to choose any occupation one wishes, if it is not contrary to Islamic jurisprudence and the public’s interests and/or the rights of other people. The government has the duty, with due consideration of the need of society for different kinds of work, to provide every citizen with the opportunity to work while creating equal conditions for everyone.
On Saturday, April 15, businessmen and marketers in Baneh and Jawanrood closed their shops in protest to the blockade of border crossing and the high cost of customs while setting empty tablecloths to show that they could not feed their families.
During the strike of the Baneh merchants and marketers, several shopkeepers and marketers were arrested on charges of encouraging marketers to strike and later released on bail.
