Disastrous Conditions for Afghan Refugees in Iran; Women Activists Call for Immediate International Action

Photo: MOHSEN KARIMI/AFP

The Independent Coalition of Afghanistan Women’s Protest Movements has issued a statement expressing deep concern over the alarming and dire situation of women’s rights activists, human rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, and vulnerable Afghan individuals currently living in Iran, and has called for urgent support from the international community.

The statement says that hundreds of women protesters, journalists, and human rights activists who were forced to flee the country due to threats, repression, and systematic exclusion after the fall of the previous Afghan government and the Taliban’s takeover, are now facing “catastrophic” conditions in Iran.

The coalition stressed that Afghan refugees in Iran are deprived of the most basic human rights and live in conditions of statelessness, poverty, and repression. In addition, ongoing military tensions, regional security crises, and internal pressures in Iran have increased the risk of arrest, forced deportation, police violence, and social exclusion for these individuals.

The Independent Coalition of Afghanistan Women’s Protest Movements, in this statement, called for immediate and concrete action from international organizations regarding the worsening situation of Afghan activists in Iran. The coalition urged international human rights organizations and safe countries to provide the necessary conditions for the urgent evacuation and resettlement of these individuals.

This movement also called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to uphold its humanitarian commitments and to refrain from arresting, forcibly deporting, or carrying out any form of violent behavior against these refugees.

This comes as reports indicate an increase in the arrests and forced deportations of Afghans in Tehran; an action that has raised further concerns among Afghan activists and refugees in Iran. According to reports, thousands of Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala border, and this wave of forced return has intensified following the announcement of a new deadline by Iranian authorities.