Richard Bennett: Iranian Police Accuse Afghan Migrants of Spying for Israel and Torture Them

Photo: Wakil Kohsar/AFP

Amid growing concerns over the treatment of Afghan migrants in neighboring countries, Richard Bennett, the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, says that hundreds of Afghan migrants, especially from ethnic and religious minority groups, have been arrested in Iran on charges of spying for Israel.

On Saturday (5 July), Bennett wrote in a post on the social media platform X that Iranian police accuse Afghan migrants of espionage, subject them to violence, and use offensive language against them.

Meanwhile, UN experts have also expressed concern over the migrants’ situation, stating that following recent Israeli attacks, Iranian police have arrested and tortured members of ethnic and religious minorities. Several returnees have told media outlets that they were repeatedly arrested by Iranian police and accused of spying.