KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A group of Afghan journalists in Iran calls for an end to the deportation of at-risk Afghans, including journalists, rights defenders, and former government officials, to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Members of the Federation of Afghan Journalists in Exile held an indoor protest rally in Iran today, urging international organizations to assist with their resettlement to a Western country.
They say they are facing harassment in Iran and the threat of deportation back to Afghanistan.
Mohammad Raja, a member of the federation, said, “Unfortunately, the Iranian government overlooks the threats to the lives of Afghans fleeing the Taliban, violating accepted international norms and forcibly returning them to the Taliban.”
“We are currently deprived of all social services in Iran and stuck in a state of despair and uncertainty,” Mr. Raja added.
Amin Poya, another member of the federation, said, “Life in Iran becomes more constricted and bleak for us each day. The bridges behind us are all destroyed, and the doors ahead are closed, with no one willing to hear our pleas.”
Afghan journalists are urging international organizations and refugee-accepting countries to take action and assist them before it’s too late.
They say they are forgotten and stranded in Iran, and that the international organizations that promised them resettlement have abandoned them.
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 forced hundreds of Afghan journalists and those working in the country’s once-vibrant media organizations to flee to Iran and Pakistan. Some have resettled in the West, while many others remain in limbo, waiting for their applications to be processed.
The enforcement of anti-migrant policies and ongoing crackdowns on undocumented Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan place them at significant risk of deportation back to Afghanistan, where they fled to escape Taliban retaliation and abuse.
Following the rise of the new government in Iran, pressure on Afghan refugees has intensified, leading to the daily return of thousands of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan.
Additionally, thousands of Iranian social media users have recently launched a campaign called “Expelling Afghans, a National Demand,” which promotes hate speech against migrants and calls for the deportation of all Afghan immigrants.
For decades, Iran has hosted millions of Afghan refugees fleeing conflict, persecution, economic constraints, and political instability in their home country. According to the UN, approximately 4.5 million Afghans live in Iran, with 71% being women and children.
