An Iranian human rights group and local news sites say dozens of Afghan migrants have been killed or injured by Iranian security forces as they attempt to cross from Pakistan into Iran.
The UN and Amnesty International called for an independent investigation into the case.
According to reports on Iranian websites, last Sunday security forces opened fire on a group of Afghans who were trying to pass through Pakistan to reach the Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan. Videos posted on social media show young people bloodied along a road. OR organization for the defense of human rights Haalvshbelonging to the Baloch minority, reported that around 260 people were killed. This account could not be independently verified. Official Iranian media did not comment on the matter.
Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Komidenied reports of the death of “dozens of illegal immigrants” in a publication on platform X. The Taliban government did not confirm the incident, saying only that it is investigating.
“There must be a swift, transparent and independent investigation into this unlawful use of force,” said Amnesty International, describing the information as “appalling”.
The UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said he was “very concerned” and called on authorities to “transparently investigate” the case.
The investigation was also requested by the UN special rapporteur for Iran, May Sato.
Iran shares a border of almost 900 kilometers with Afghanistan and, in a smaller part, it borders Pakistan. This country hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the world. These are mainly Afghans who abandoned their country to escape the successive wars of recent decades. Afghan refugee flows increased after the Taliban took power in August 2021.
Iran built a wall more than 10 kilometers long on the border with Afghanistanthe main crossing point for Afghan migrants, a senior military official said in late September.
According to the most recent figures released by the government in August, Iran is home to “more than 2.7 million legally resident Afghan refugees”, a number that represents “97% of all legal immigrants” in the country.
Iran has not announced the total number of Afghan migrants on its territory, but one lawmaker, Abolfazi Torabi, recently estimated it to be “between six and 7 million.”
Source: AMPE