Kurdish Smugglers

Poverty and lack of alternative opportunities has pushed many people living on the borders of Iraq, Syria and Iran (Kurdistan) to smuggle goods, despite the grave risks associated with doing so. Everything from clothes, to make-up, electronic goods or alcohol (forbidden in Iran) is taken across these borders, and those involved face arrest or even death for an average of just $US8 per journey. The smugglers make around three journeys per day across treacherous mountain passes and hazardous minefields, following in the footsteps of many before them. They are often ambushed, fired upon or blackmailed by border guards, and are extorted daily by corrupt Kurdish officials. In these areas, there still exist a very important relationship between a man and his horse, the traditional mode of transport for smuggled goods. Hence, horses are valuable possessions for families living at the borders. “Whenever the border guards catch us, they kill our horses. There is no other job whatsoever, that’s why I am forced into this work,” one smuggler explains. Photographer Aram Karim, born in a village in the mountainous border area between Iraq and Iran, has been mingling with smugglers for the past five years, and shares with Panorama his documentation of their daily lives.