Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Afghan Refugees in Iran

Afghanistan, due to unrest, turmoil and poverty, throughout a major portion of last few decades, has experienced a situation wherein a large number of people have left the country in search of refuge. They have mostly moved to neighboring countries – Pakistan and Iran and to the European countries. Have they found a better life there? Some of them have; however, at the same time some others have faced the sort of trouble and misfortune that are difficult to describe in words.

The neighboring countries have been generous to a great extent in giving Afghan refugees opportunities to rebuild their lives; nonetheless, they do not get the opportunities they really deserve as per the international law regarding refugees. There have been cases when they are treated as if they are not human beings and do not have their due rights.

Afghan refugees, particularly in Iran, have been facing myriads of problems. According to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation there are more than 2 million Afghan refugees in Iran and less than a million has legal documents, while 1,400,000 are illegal.

Lawfully, Afghan refugees who reach to Iran have the right to be heard and given the opportunity to prove that they qualify as asylum seekers and deserve to stay in Iran; however, such rights are not given to them. According to Human Rights Watch Report published in November last year said that Iranian forces deport thousands of Afghans summarily, without allowing them the opportunity to prove they have right to remain in Iran or to lodge an asylum application.

The report clearly said that Iranian officials have in recent years limited legal avenues for Afghans to claim refugee or other immigration status in Iran, even as conditions in Afghanistan have deteriorated. These policies pose a serious risk to the rights and security of the almost one million Afghans whom Iran recognizes as refugees, and hundreds of thousands of others who have fled war and insecurity in Afghanistan. The practices also violate Iran’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention.

The situation does not seem to have changed much and the Afghan refugees keep on suffering the harsh attitude of Iranian authorities. This attitude is not only towards the refugees that reach Iran illegally, but the ones with legal documents face the same.

There have been many occasions when Afghan refugees have faced different sorts of punishments for the alleged crimes that have been even very minor. Even death sentences have been given to many Afghan refugees in this regard. Moreover, many Afghan refugees, who tried to cross the border illegally, have been shot dead by Iranian border authorities. Nevertheless, no tangible measures have been taken to stop all these incidents.

A couple of months earlier, it was alleged that Iran was recruiting Afghan refugees to fight in Syria by offering remuneration and Iranian residency. If the allegation is true, this action shows a type of abuse of the Afghan refugees in the country and must be shunned as soon as possible.

In addition, it should also be noted that the Afghan refugees that reach to Iranian soil are mostly youngsters, most of them in their teenage and are still adolescents. They are not fully aware of their rights and as they are compelled because of poverty and want to support their families, they are ready to do any sort of work. Therefore, they, on most of the occasions, are used by the smugglers to smuggle drugs through the border. Unfortunately, many of them are caught by the authorities and then hanged in public.

Recently, Iranian authorities seem to have increased the deportation of Afghan refugees from their country and even the ones with legal documents face the same fate. According to a statement by Nimroz Refugees and Repatriation Director Muhammad Akbar Chakhansori on Wednesday, September 10, Afghan refugees continue to be expelled from Iran despite having legal documents. He said that 10 to 15 families used to return from Iran daily, but now the number has increased to 20.  

Though it is better for Afghanistan if Afghan refugees return to their homes and start living their lives in their homeland, but there are major concerns while they do so. Many of the refugees that return do not have houses to live in and any source of income. The government is not in the position to provide them for their basic requirements; therefore, their lives are in evident danger. These are the problems that are there besides the security problem, which is one of the major reasons of migration.

It is really pivotal that the issue of Afghan refugees in Iran and those who are being deported from Iran should be dealt properly. Afghan authorities, in particular, must fulfill their responsibilities in this regard and should not leave them at the mercy of strict regulations. Iranian and international authorities, on the other hand, must also make sure that they abide by the international law in this regard and as Human Rights Watch had suggested in their report mentioned above, “Allo newly-arriving Afghans and Afghans arrested for unlawful presence to lodge refugee claims or otherwise seek a protected status, review such claims fairly and efficiently, and guarantee rejected applicants a right to appeal… Ensure that every Afghan facing deportation has the opportunity to have his or her case reviewed by a judge and has access to legal assistance and the right of appeal.