RASC News Agency: The bodies of a young Afghanistani couple have been discovered under suspicious circumstances in the basement of a shop in Tehran’s Qiyamdasht district, according to reports by Iranian media. Rokna News Agency stated that the couple had apparently entered the shop’s cellar for unclear reasons, where they were later found dead with a running generator nearby. Initial police investigations suggest carbon monoxide poisoning may be the cause. However, due to unresolved ambiguities and unanswered questions, a criminal judge has ordered the arrest of the shop owner and the transfer of the bodies to the Forensic Medicine Organization for a comprehensive autopsy to determine the precise cause of death.
This incident is not an isolated tragedy but part of a deeply troubling pattern. Over the past few months, Iran has witnessed a surge in anti-migrant sentiment, with Afghanistani refugees increasingly becoming the targets of violence, discrimination, and institutional neglect. The recent discovery marks the fourth suspicious death of Afghanistani nationals in Tehran in less than a month, underscoring a climate of fear and insecurity that now engulfs the refugee community. Prior to this incident, the mutilated body of Kobra Rezai, a young Afghanistani woman, was found abandoned in the capital. Days later, authorities reported the discovery of a woman and her children also of Afghanistani origin dead in another residential building, all under circumstances that remain murky and deeply concerning.
These growing incidents of violence have amplified a chorus of criticism from migrant families and human rights organizations, who accuse Iranian law enforcement and the judiciary of systemic apathy. Families of victims say investigations are often cursory and, in some cases, deliberately sidelined. Several have alleged that officials attempt to prematurely close cases without transparency, fostering a sense of legal impunity for crimes committed against migrants. Human rights defenders warn that such a response or lack thereof has not only intensified the atmosphere of xenophobia, but has further endangered the already fragile existence of Afghanistani families, many of whom have fled the chaos and persecution of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan only to face hostility and marginalization in Iran.
As Iran ramps up its security crackdowns and accelerates mass deportations, thousands of Afghanistani refugees now live in a state of constant fear trapped between a regime in Kabul that has stripped them of their basic rights, and an environment in exile that offers little protection or dignity. The Taliban’s brutal and regressive rule has already forced millions into displacement, with neighboring countries like Iran bearing the brunt of the refugee influx. However, instead of coordinated protection efforts, migrants are increasingly treated as disposable subject to abuse, criminalization, or silent disappearance. The absence of robust safeguards and impartial justice mechanisms only deepens the humanitarian toll.
Unless Iranian authorities move swiftly to ensure transparent investigations, prosecute perpetrators, and uphold the rights of all residents regardless of nationality the chasm of mistrust and fear between the Iranian state and the Afghanistani diaspora will continue to widen, with profound long-term consequences for regional stability and human dignity.
