RASC News Agency: Some Afghanistani migrants in Iran lament being subjected to harassment, extortion, and detention by Iranian police. Afghanistani residents in Iran express reluctance to wander the city and recreational areas due to the looming threat of police detention.
Mohammad Akbari, an Afghanistani migrant possessing valid residency documents and residing in Iran for over 20 years, recounted to RASC News Agency: “Despite holding valid residency documents, the police apprehended me and forcibly transferred me to a camp, extorting 200,000 tomans from me.” He further remarked, “The Iranian police exhibit gross misconduct towards us; upon encountering any Afghanistani in parks, metro stations, or on roads, they demand money and possessions, and if unfortunate, they are transported to camps and extorted again.”
Mohammad Reza Rezai, a former active member of civil society in Afghanistan now displaced in Iran for nearly three years, lamented, “There exists no avenue for seeking justice or an institution to heed our pleas for assistance in Iran; migrants here are abandoned, helpless, devoid of any support or recourse.” He added, “Driven from our homes and lands by the Taliban, seeking refuge in Iran, we are met with unfair treatment by Iranian police and authorities, flagrantly disregarding even the most rudimentary human rights of migrants.”
Recently, the Taliban’s Ministry of Repatriation and Migrants disclosed that over 96,000 Afghanistani migrants were forcibly repatriated from Iran and Pakistan in the final month of the year 1402. Last week, the Governor of Tehran issued a stern warning, initiating the enforcement of the “Collection and Return of Unauthorized Citizens” scheme in the early days of the new year in Iran, coinciding with the over 14-day Nowruz holidays. As per reports, this initiative will encompass recreational areas and various sectors until the conclusion of the Nowruz holidays.
