Iran Is ‘Deporting Afghans To Hell’, Says EU Legislator
Hannah Neumann, a Member of the European Parliament, has strongly condemned Iran’s mass deportation of Afghan migrants, describing the policy as “deporting them to hell.”
Hannah Neumann, a Member of the European Parliament, has strongly condemned Iran’s mass deportation of Afghan migrants, describing the policy as “deporting them to hell.”
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Neumann said more than 700000 Afghan refugees have been expelled from Iran so far this year, calling the situation a “crime unfolding in real time.”
“Let’s talk about hypocrisy, collective failure and a crime unfolding in real time,” she wrote. “The EU said three years ago that Afghan refugees should go to Iran. Now, the Islamic regime is deporting them into hell. Over 700000 Afghans have been expelled from Iran this year.”
According to Neumann, many deportees arrive at the Islam Qala border crossing “barefoot, hungry, violated and sent straight into Taliban territory.” She said some of the returnees were born in Iran and have never even seen Afghanistan.
“This isn’t migration,” she stressed. “It’s expulsion, by force, scale and terror. No legal review. No access to asylum. No due process.”
Neumann also alleged that Afghan migrants in Iran, including those with valid visas, education records and children, are being dragged from their homes, dumped at the border, and often have their documents destroyed.
She called for urgent international action, including the issuance of humanitarian visas for at-risk Afghans, emergency funding for the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, and the establishment of safe and legal exit routes from Iran that do not place returnees at risk of Taliban persecution.
