Hengaw Warns of Increasing State-Sanctioned and Social Racism Against Afghan Migrants in Iran

Hengaw; Sunday, August 4, 2024

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights expresses relief at the halting of the deportation of Kobra Gholami, an Afghan researcher, to Afghanistan. The organization also warns of rising anti-Afghan racism in both governmental and social spheres in Iran.

Full Statement:

Hengaw Warns of Increasing State-Sanctioned and Social Racism Against Afghan Migrants in Iran

The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights considers the treatment of Afghan migrants, and even Iranians with Afghan backgrounds, to be disastrous and warns of increasing state-sanctioned and social racism against Afghan migrants.

In recent months, there has been a noticeable surge in anti-Afghan racism within both governmental and social spheres in Iran. This includes the emergence of discourse on the expulsion of Afghan migrants in election debates within the Islamic Republic, followed by a rising demand for their expulsion on social media.

The specific case of Kobra Gholami, a sociology researcher, master’s student, and Afghan migrant in Iran, who was about to be deported to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan for not complying with Iran's mandatory hijab laws, exemplifies the severe level of this injustice.

In many cases, despite decades of living and working in Iran, Afghan migrants do not have valid residency cards. They are not permitted to reside in 16 provinces of Iran, and apart from the provinces of Tehran, Alborz, and Qom, they are only allowed to reside in certain towns in other provinces. This has not only created conditions similar to apartheid for them in Iran but also, through governmental policies, is perpetually alienating the Afghan migrant community and violating their civil rights. According to Hengaw's statistics, at least 25 Afghan prisoners have been executed in Iranian prisons in the past seven months.

Given the dire human rights situation for Afghans in their own country after the Taliban takeover, the widespread demand for their expulsion and the toxic political rhetoric surrounding them could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe if not halted.

While expressing relief at the stopping of Kobra Gholami's deportation to Afghanistan, Hengaw is alarmed by the lack of respect for the basic human rights of Afghan migrants and the social hate-mongering against this community. The organization calls on Iranian and global civil and human rights communities to pay close attention to this crisis.

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights
August 4, 2024