Tehran: Zahra’s family fled Afghanistan for Iran almost 30 years ago. Today, the 23-year-old, who is married with a young daughter, lives in constant fear of deportation. Her husband, who also fled Afghanistan, works as an agricultural laborer. “He can be arrested at any time on his way to work or home and deported to Afghanistan, like so many others,” said Zahra.
According to Deutsche Welle, a UN report published in July indicates that 1.35 million Afghan refugees have been forced to leave Iran in recent months. Many were arrested and deported, while others returned voluntarily for fear of arbitrary arrest.
Following a recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran, Iranian authorities initiated a large-scale deportation campaign against Afghans who they claim are residing illegally in the country. In response, more than 1,300 Iranian and Afghan activists, journalists, artists, and citizens have penned an open letter to the Iranian government, demanding an immediate end to the repression of Afghan refugees who are being arbitrarily arrested and deported. They urge the Iranian populace to oppose these actions to prevent their silence from being perceived as complicity.
The refugees have long voiced concerns about a systematic and increasingly intense racist attitude in society, which they attribute to the authorities. Negative coverage in Iranian media is blamed for attributing social and economic problems to refugees, fueling resentment among disadvantaged groups and turning them against the migrants.
Zahra recalls that despite being a documented refugee, she was denied a place in school, as there were reportedly not enough places for locals. Afghan human rights activist Abdullah Ahmadi argued that the deportations in recent months have often been carried out without regard for international standards, with many deportees left without shelter, medical care, or adequate food. Some even had to finance their journeys themselves.
Numerous families have returned to Afghanistan on their own initiative, fearing arbitrary arrest. Many report not receiving their outstanding wages or the deposits paid for their apartments.
In response to growing criticism, Iranian authorities highlighted that they had requested all “illegal” refugees to exit the country six months ago. Nader Yarahmadi, head of the Center for Foreigners and Refugees at the Ministry of the Interior, stated via the state news agency IRNA that all illegal migrants were to have left by July 15. The increased influx of irregular immigrants from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover has strained the country’s limited resources.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed readiness to travel to Afghanistan to potentially open a new chapter in relations between the two countries. However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry later clarified that this was merely an expression of personal interest, with no official travel plans.
The mass deportations have led to growing criticism of Iran within Afghan society. International relations expert Ahmad Ehsan Sarwaryar stated that the situation is not conducive to a diplomatic trip, highlighting that nearly one million people have been deported in just 40 days, overwhelming basic services in western Afghanistan.
Sarwaryar supports accommodating returnees in the western Afghan city of Herat, where a worsening humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding. Almost 23 million people in Afghanistan are already reliant on humanitarian aid, with hundreds of thousands of returnees now joining them, left without shelter, work, or future prospects.
Zahra shared her thwarted dreams of returning to Afghanistan to study, a plan derailed by the Taliban’s rise to power in August 2021. Four of her friends and acquaintances, deported from Iran with their families, now reside in a sparsely-furnished small house in Afghanistan, lacking electricity, living together with their young children. Zahra’s family, having been forced to leave Iran 20 years ago, briefly returned after a stay back in Afghanistan. The 950-kilometer frontier with Afghanistan remains largely uncontrolled by Iranian authorities, complicating border monitoring efforts.