Over 70 Percent Of Afghan Migrants Are Being Forcibly Deported, Says Iranian Official

More than 70 percent of undocumented Afghan migrants are being forcibly deported from Iran, according to a senior official from the country’s Foreign Ministry.

Ahmad Masoumifar, head of the Foreign Ministry’s office in Iran’s northeast, confirmed that the majority of recent returns are involuntary. Speaking on Monday, 30 June, he said that between 22 and 28 June, the first week of the month of Saratan in the Solar Hijri calendar, around 85000 undocumented Afghans were deported via the Dogharoun border crossing.

Masoumifar stated that only 25 to 30 percent of Afghan migrants return voluntarily, while the remaining 70 to 75 percent are deported by force. He added that the pace of deportations has intensified ahead of a 6 July deadline issued by Iran’s Ministry of Interior for undocumented migrants to leave the country.

According to Masoumifar, approximately 10000 Afghans were deported over two days, 27 and 28 June, and around 21000 were returned on 26 June alone.

He noted that Afghan migrants who opt for voluntary return are permitted to bring their personal belongings with them to the border for transfer into Afghanistan.

The remarks appear to contradict earlier claims by the governor of Taybad, who stated that more than 90 percent of undocumented Afghan migrants had left the country voluntarily.

Iran has seen a sharp rise in deportations in recent weeks, amid growing international concern over the treatment of Afghan migrants and the humanitarian implications of mass returns.