RASC News Agency: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has disclosed that Iranian authorities intend to expel two million undocumented Afghanistani migrants by the end of the current solar year. In a statement released on Saturday, December 21, the UNHCR noted that hundreds of thousands of Afghanistani migrants have returned from Iran this year, with most of these returns being involuntary. Iranian officials confirmed to the UN that some documented migrants had also been deported alongside those lacking proper documentation. The UNHCR has underscored that the repatriation of migrants must adhere to the principle of voluntariness, as mandated by international conventions. This announcement follows an earlier statement by Iran’s Chief of Law Enforcement Forces, who declared plans for the imminent expulsion of two million undocumented Afghanistani nationals.
This policy mirrors a similar initiative by Pakistan last year, which aimed to deport over one million undocumented Afghanistani migrants a process that remains underway. The majority of Afghanistani migrants fleeing to neighboring countries, including Iran and Pakistan, cite the Taliban’s harsh restrictions, pervasive threats, poverty, and unemployment as the primary reasons for their displacement. Following the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan, over twelve million Afghanistani citizens including intellectuals, educated professionals, senior officials of the former government, ex-security personnel, and job seekers were compelled to leave the country. A significant number of these individuals sought refuge in Iran, which has become a key destination for displaced Afghanistani citizens.
This mass exodus is attributed to the Taliban’s oppressive governance, marked by political, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural suppression, as well as widespread injustice, chronic unemployment, and economic hardship. Such conditions have driven countless Afghanistani citizens to seek safety and a better future beyond their borders.
