Iran Executes Two Afghan Nationals, Says Rights Group

The groups warned that Afghan migrants particularly children are facing discrimination, psychological distress and hate speech, and now live in fear of forced expulsion.

“The discrimination against Afghan refugees, particularly children, has a long history in Iranian state policy,” the statement said. “Over the past three years, Afghan children have endured immense psychological pressure, from daily violence and systemic exclusion to waves of hate speech in the media that have made their lives increasingly difficult.”

The organisations cautioned that the deportation policy targets not only two million undocumented migrants, but also an estimated two million who possess census registration papers.

“Children who once had hope for a future are now confronted with the nightmare of returning to Afghanistan, a country under Taliban rule, where they face no security, no education and no dignified life,” the statement said.

Activists warned that fear and anxiety are now widespread among migrant children. They added that the threat of losing access to education, the risk of forced marriage, especially for girls, and an uncertain future in a country plagued by poverty, unemployment and insecurity are exposing children to serious emotional and psychological harm.

The organisations also noted that since 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran has gradually restricted educational and health services for migrants in an attempt to pressure them to leave. This began with the exclusion of undocumented children from the school system, a reversal of progress made in 2016.

Girls’ schools in Afghanistan remain closed under Taliban orders. Activists stressed that for many Afghan girls, deportation would mean the permanent end of their education.

The child rights organisations condemned the actions of the Iranian government as a clear violation of national and international child rights laws and inconsistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a signatory.

“No policy should come at the cost of a child’s health, dignity or future,” the statement said.

The organisations called on the Iranian government to immediately halt the mass deportation plan and to respect the rights of migrant children.

Among those punished was a woman who was lashed under Taliban court orders for the “crime of fleeing home.”

According to the court’s statement, Taliban officials flogged one man and three women in Balkh and Parwan provinces, accusing them of “moral corruption” and engaging in extramarital relations. Each reportedly received about 30 lashes.

In separate incidents, three individuals including one woman were publicly flogged in Badakhshan and Laghman provinces on charges of “alcohol sales and fleeing home,” also receiving 30 lashes each.

Despite repeated international appeals urging the Taliban to halt public corporal punishment of both men and women, the group continues to administer lashings across various provinces for a range of alleged offences.

Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, expressed grave concern on Monday over the Taliban’s increasing use of corporal punishment. He called the practice a violation of international law and urged an immediate end to it.

Citing figures from the Taliban’s Supreme Court, Bennett reported that the group had flogged at least 63 men and four women across several provinces in the past week alone.

The victim, Sayed Qiyamuddin, was a resident of Yamgan district in Badakhshan and a member of the Ismaili community.

Sources said Qiyamuddin was killed at his workplace in the eastern city of Jalalabad. A photograph said to show his body revealed extensive bruising to his face and torso.

The identity of the perpetrators and the motive behind the killing remain unknown.

It was also reported that Qiyamuddin’s brother who had also worked for the WHO died a few months ago, allegedly as a result of an earlier attack.

The individuals were arrested on Sunday evening in Anaba district after Taliban fighters reportedly grew suspicious of their gathering in one location.

Sources said the detainees were initially taken to a military unit before being transferred to a prison.

Taliban officials informed the detainees’ families that their relatives would be released following the completion of investigations.

Since retaking power in 2021, the Taliban have tightened security in Panjshir, long viewed as a centre of anti-Taliban resistance. The province was the base of the National Resistance Front, led by Ahmad Massoud, which opposed Taliban rule after the fall of the former government.

As part of its heightened security measures, the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that surveillance cameras had been installed across several parts of Panjshir. The ministry said the move was intended to “ensure better security and public safety.”

Those punished faced charges of extramarital sexual relations, murder and theft. Some were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to 10 years, according to statements issued by the Taliban’s Supreme Court.

The floggings were carried out in the Forza district of Kabul, Ruyi Du Ab district of Samangan and the Tanai and Sabari districts of Khost province. The sentences were implemented in public and in the presence of Taliban officials.

In Kabul, two men convicted of engaging in sexual relations were each sentenced to 20 lashes and one year in prison, the court said.

In Samangan, a man and a woman were flogged on charges of “extramarital sexual relations.”

Seven individuals in Khost province were sentenced to between 35 and 39 lashes and prison terms ranging from three months to 10 years on charges including extramarital sex, murder and theft, the court said.

The Taliban did not release the names of those punished or provide details of the judicial process used in these cases.

Over the past week, Taliban courts in Kunar, Takhar, Kabul, Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul, Ghazni, Paktia and Laghman provinces have flogged more than 40 men and women on similar charges.