Iran Escalates Deportation Push With 6 July Deadline For Afghan Migrants

Expressing deep concern over the rising number of executions, the groups reported that 32 Afghan prisoners have been executed in Iranian prisons in the first five months of this year.

The statement, signed by 84 organisations and released on Wednesday, 4 June, warns of an accelerating trend in the execution of Afghans in Iran since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.

The groups cautioned that dozens more Afghan prisoners could face execution in the coming months.

According to the statement, the number of Afghan citizens executed in Iran rose from 16 in 2022 to 80 in 2024, following the Taliban’s resurgence.

The organisations stressed that many of these executions are carried out in secret, without public notification. Reports indicate that out of dozens of executions last year, only six were officially announced.

The statement said that Islamic Republic of Iran has demonstrated a free hand in carrying out death sentences against the poorest and most marginalised members of society, those whose executions carry the least cost for the regime.

The groups also criticised Iran’s judicial process as often “unfair,” noting that many convictions are based on confessions extracted under torture.

The statement further highlighted an increasingly hostile environment towards migrants in Iran, accusing the government of fuelling anti-migrant sentiment to divert public attention from economic mismanagement.

The signatories called on human rights defenders, political figures and the public to speak out against the wave of executions of Afghan nationals in Iran and urged the international community not to remain silent.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights and one of the signatories, said: “Afghans living in Iran are among the most vulnerable in society and are treated as low-cost victims by the Islamic Republic’s execution apparatus.”

The statement was issued alongside reports of the execution of Shoaib Abdulhaq Mohammadi, a 23-year-old Afghan man, who was put to death in Taybad Central Prison on drug-related charges. Human rights groups such as Hengaw and Haalvsh have been documenting and reporting on these executions.

The statement further stressed that Afghan territory must not be used by terrorist groups or for drug trafficking.

The GCC foreign ministers’ meeting took place on Monday, 2 June, in Kuwait, with representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait in attendance.

In their joint statement, released on 2 June, the ministers highlighted the importance of security and stability in Afghanistan.

The council also expressed solidarity with the Afghan people in their fight against terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting peace and stability in the country.

The GCC Council of Ministers acknowledged the ongoing humanitarian and relief assistance provided by member states to Afghanistan and emphasised the need for continued international humanitarian, economic and development support to help alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people.

Addressing the group’s leadership, Akhundzada emphasised that officials should implement Sharia in their own lives before attempting to enforce it on others, and should not meddle in one another’s responsibilities.

He urged Taliban members to “maintain coordination with one another, refrain from interfering in each other’s duties, and make every effort to apply Sharia first to themselves and then to others.”

The message, addressed to “Muslim brothers,” was published by Taliban authorities on Wednesday.

Akhundzada reiterated the importance of obeying his “orders and commands,” describing such obedience as “necessary and obligatory.” The message stated: “Obey the orders and commands of the Emir, for it is necessary and obligatory. Everyone must observe this and move forward within the framework of obedience.”

The Taliban leader again stressed the implementation of Islamic law (Sharia).

He also advised students and madrasa scholars to focus on their studies and “not waste their time on meaningless things.”

However, Akhundzada made no mention of the reopening of schools and universities for girls, which have remained closed for nearly four years.

The only reference to “women” in the message concerned Israeli attacks on Palestinian women and children.

Over the past four years, Akhundzada has issued multiple decrees that have severely restricted the rights of Afghan women in both public and private life.

His detention reportedly followed criticism of a Taliban official’s remarks opposing the participation of Taliban fighters in clashes between militants and Pakistani security forces.

According to Taliban sources in Kabul on Tuesday, the group’s Reform Committee arrested Sekandar after he criticised Saeedullah Saeed, the head of the committee. Sekandar had harshly criticised Saeed’s statement that no one has the right to independently wage jihad abroad without direct orders from the Taliban’s supreme leader.

Sources added that Sekandar is currently being held in Kabul alongside prisoners from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Reform Committee, formed by Taliban supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, primarily oversees matters related to the TTP.

Sekandar, a vocal Taliban supporter on social media, has been inactive on his accounts for the past two days. Before the Taliban’s return to power, he worked as a journalist and was previously arrested by Afghanistan’s former National Directorate of Security, months before the collapse of the previous government, for allegedly collaborating with the Taliban. On social media, he has expressed support for the TTP and the Baloch separatist movement.

He resides in Khost and is known to have close ties with the Haqqani Network, particularly its media wing.

In a Facebook post responding to Saeedullah Saeed’s remarks, Sekandar had written: “What are you trying to prove with such statements?”

Saeed’s comments have sparked backlash from some Taliban clerics. Sheikh Abdul Sami Ghaznavi, another Taliban supporter, publicly rejected Hibatullah’s fatwa and argued that jihad does not require the leader’s permission. Under pressure from Pakistan, Mullah Hibatullah had issued a fatwa instructing Taliban fighters not to travel abroad for jihad without his approval.

Meanwhile, sources previously told Afghanistan International that the Taliban had imprisoned General Mobin, a high-profile figure close to the group, sentencing him to one and a half years in prison for statements and behaviour deemed contrary to official Taliban policies.

According to the Taliban embassy in Moscow, which spoke to the TASS news agency, Gul Hassan will assume his post after securing a visa and will formally take charge of the mission.

Gul Hassan previously served as a member of the Taliban’s Quetta Shura, the group’s leadership council.

Last week, Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Kabul, officially presented the agreement for Gul Hassan’s appointment to Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister.

Russia recently announced its decision to accept the Taliban’s ambassador in Moscow and to elevate diplomatic relations with the group, following the removal of the Taliban from its list of banned organisations. The Afghan embassy in Moscow had already been handed over to the Taliban in an earlier move.

The deepening of ties between Moscow and the Taliban comes as Russia has repeatedly warned against any return of NATO and the United States to Afghanistan. In a recent statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said NATO was seeking ways to re-establish its presence in the country.

Moscow has also consistently voiced concerns about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, particularly the Khorasan branch of ISIS.