TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) has issued a guideline which obliged all the rangers to wear bullet-resistant vests during missions and while patrolling the protected areas.

Some 123 rangers have gotten killed while protecting the environment sine 1979 in Iran.

Rangers who are supposed to protect the environment and the precious biodiversity in the country are in danger of armed conflicts with poachers, and the country’s current gun rules and regulations for rangers sound inefficient due to ineffective legislative strategies which allows the rangers to use weapons only in case of self-defense, otherwise they are not allowed to shoot.

Given the circumstances the DOE chief Issa Kalantari has mandated wearing bullet-resistant vest, also called bulletproof vest.

Kalantari stated that an armor which can mostly help them survive the armed conflicts and reduce horrific accidents is bullet-resistant vest.

Although it cannot fully absorb the impact or stop penetration to the body from firearm projectiles, must be worn by all the rangers during patrolling missions, especially operations where their life is highly at risk, he highlighted.

Moreover, a bill to uphold the rights of rangers, including rules on carrying and use of firearms, was drafted in July 2016 by the Department of Environment (DOE) following the death of two rangers, Mohammad Dehqani and Parviz Hormozi, who were killed in June 2016 during an armed conflict with poachers in Hormozgan province.

The bill has been approved by the judiciary committee of Majlis [Iranian parliament] in late September, and is still waiting for final approval.

FB/MQ/MG