12.2007 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Relationship between Afghanistan and Iran mainly marked by socio-economic cooperation; more recently the relationship is affected due to the deportation of undocumented Afghans in 2007 ("UNHCR's Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Afghan Asylum-Seekers") [ID 22030]

"Afghanistan’s relationship with Iran continues to be centred on socio-economic cooperation. More recently, however, and despite public displays of mutual support and cooperation, the relationship between the two countries has been affected by the “deportee crises”.  The latter began in February 2007 when the Government of Iran, through a number of press releases, announced its plan for a thorough regularization of aliens on Iranian soil, including measures to deport undocumented Afghans in 2007. The Iranian authorities followed through on their announcement on 23 April, when they started the deportation of Afghans through the Milak-Zaranj border point in southwestern Afghanistan. As a result of what was perceived as a failure to promptly respond to the needs of the deportees, the Afghan National Assembly passed no-confidence votes on 10 May and 12 May 2007 against the Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Mr. Mohammad Akbar Akbar, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dadfar Ranguin Spanta, respectively. President Karzai referred the case to the Supreme Court for a ruling on whether the lawmakers could remove a Minister for matters not related to responsibilities of that ministry. At the time of writing, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was still in post, while Mr. Akbar had been replaced by Mr. Shir Mohammad Etebari as the Minister for Refugees and Repatriation."

Document(s): Open document

12.2007 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Tripartite Agreement renewed in February 2007 between Iran, Afghanistan and UNHCR ("UNHCR's Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Afghan Asylum-Seekers") [ID 22925]

"Facilitated voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan is governed by a framework of tripartite agreements, signed between Afghanistan, UNHCR and a number of countries hosting Afghan refugees. With Iran, a Tripartite Agreement was renewed in Mashad in February 2007, and provides a framework for return until 19 March 2008."

Document(s): Open document

12.2007 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Cases of self-immolation of women returning from Iran; women returning from Iran also expressed frustration at the lack of available opportunities for women and restrictions imposed by family members ("UNHCR's Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Afghan Asylum-Seekers") [ID 22992]

"UNHCR is aware of self-immolation cases of women returning from Iran. Those cases were reportedly rooted in the social restrictions imposed upon return. Women returning from Iran interviewed by UNHCR have also expressed frustration at the lack of available public and social opportunities and activities for women, and the serious restrictions to the freedom of movement often imposed by family members and society as a whole. In this respect, Afghan tradition imposes that women cannot travel freely without male escorts (Maharam). Furthermore, women are presented with the challenges of harassment and pressures from families to wear a burka or a chador."

Document(s): Open document

11.2007 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Afghan economic migrants and illegal refugees used for political purposes ("11th European Country of Origin Information Seminar; Vienna, 21 - 22 June 2007; Country Report; Afghanistan") [ID 21872]

"With terrorist attacks in the UK linked to Pakistan and the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan from the summer of 2005, far more international focus is now apparent on Pakistan and increasingly Iran. In both countries Afghan economic migrants and illegal refugees risk being used for political ends by both governments. It is also salutary that the forced repatriation of Afghans from Iran was rapidly utilised by powerful and conservative Afghan parliamentarians to call for the dismissal of the reformist Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rangin Dadfar Spanta."

Document(s): Open document

07.11.2005 - Source: ReliefWeb

No changes in repatriation process of Afghan refugees from Iran since last June; security concerns made Afghans reluctant to return ("No changes in repatriation process of Afghan refugees from Iran (DPA)") [#38653],  [ID 2437]

Document(s): Open document

28.10.2005 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Afghan refugees forcibly repatriated from refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran ("Afghans Go Home, Not Always Willingly") [#38449],  [ID 2438]

Document(s): Open document

17.01.2005 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

There are concerns that Iranian authorities might be putting pressure on Afghan refugees to leave the country ("Lubbers warns against speeding up refugee returns to Afghanistan") [#28317],  [ID 2439]

Document(s): Open document

12.01.2005 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Zahedan, Zabol, Mashad, Kerman: hundreds of Afghan illegal migrants along with some legal Afghan refugees, arrested by Iranian police; they were held in a detention centre for up to 4 days and some ot them were also beaten ("UNHCR concerned over wave of refugee arrests") [#28137],  [ID 2440]

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2004 - Source:

UNHCR resumed repatriations of Afghan and Iraqi refugees from Iran following a suspension due to violence in the 2 countries ("UN resumes repatriations of Afghan, Iraqi refugees from Iran (AFP)") [#25552],  [ID 2441]

Document(s): Open document

11.08.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

UNHCR will continue to assist Afghan refugees inside Iran, despite claims by the Iranian government that it had cut assistance to its refugee programmes ("UNHCR continues to assist Afghan refugees") [#24690],  [ID 2442]

Document(s): Open document

10.03.2004 - Source: ReliefWeb

Iran´s government wants to impose tough new restrictions on nearly 1.5 million Afghans living in Iran; latest move aimed at accelerating repatriation ("Iran to strip Afghans of refugee status, promises new curbs") [#20355],  [ID 2443]

"Iran's government has promised to impose tough new restrictions on nearly 1.5 million Afghans living in the Islamic republic, the latest move aimed at accelerating their repatriation.
"Afghans will only be considered as refugees until the end of the next Iranian year (on March 20, 2005), and in the coming months they will face more restrictions," the interior ministry's head of immigrant affairs was quoted as saying Wednesday.
Ahmad Hosseini said that since the "voluntary return" of some 706,000 Afghans since the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in November 2001, 1.46 million were still in Iran.

"The employment of Afghans will be banned unless there is specific authorisation, and in case of violations the employer and employee will be punished," he said.

In addition, Afghans will need to show a residency permit to enroll their children in Iranian schools and will need to pay for state education here.

Afghans will also be barred from enrolling in Iranian universities and will need special permits to rent any property.
[...]"

Document(s): Open document

27.05.2003 - Source: ReliefWeb

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans who sought refuge in Iran would now be classed as migrants and could face expulsion; about 200,000 Iraqis set to begin returning home in June ("Iraqis, Afghans in Iran stripped of refugee status (AFP)") [#13160],  [ID 2444]

Document(s): Open document

01.2003 - Source: CARE International

OCHA - Iran: Refugee Assistance ("CARE International in Afghanistan Policy Brief: A New Year’s Resolution to Keep: Secure a Lasting Peace in Afghanistan") [#10422],  [ID 2445]

"The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran estimates that some two million Afghans currently live in the country, the vast majority (97%) living in urban areas. Only 3% of Iran's refugee population live in camps. Since April 2002, following the signature of the Tripartite Agreement with Afghanistan and UNHCR, more than 250,000 Afghans have been assisted to return to their homes. In 2003, UNHCR aims to:
· Facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees;
· Protect refugees and asylum seekers unable or unwilling to return in the near future;
· Work toward the legalisation of refugees' rights and, together with other relevant agencies, support the Government in devising a legal framework for immigrants and labourers which would grant refugees the right to work and access to health and education services;
· Further improve programme delivery and implementation in cooperation with the Government and implementing partners.
In 2003, an additional 500,000 Afghans are expected to volunteer for the assisted repatriation programme, registering at one of the voluntary repatriation centres established in the country, or with the mobile teams that go out to more remote areas. Once they have registered, they are provided with transport support, first to get to the border and then, once they enter Afghanistan, on to their final destination. They also receive food, water and medical assistance on the journey home. UNHCR informs potential returnees about the situation in different areas of Afghanistan via its mass information programme and gives mine awareness training. Moreover, it monitors the repatriation process (for example via the interview process at the repatriation centres, and at the border crossing) to make sure that refugees return voluntarily and in safety and dignity.
For Afghans remaining in Iran, UNHCR will continue to provide limited assistance to refugees in camps, notably in the areas of education (formal and non-formal), sanitation, and health. The organisation will also work on durable solutions for those who do not wish to return. With this in mind, it hopes to help the Government design a legal framework for their continued residence. Issues to be addressed include the right to work, access to education and health services, and other basic civil rights. It will establish a joint screening mechanism with the government and provide training to government personnel to help them distinguish between refugees and immigrants."

Document(s): Open document
care_afghanistan_policy_brief_jan_2003.pdf

14.11.2002 - Source: ReliefWeb

Agence France Presse: Milak border crossing reopend ("Iran reopens southeastern border with Afghanistan (APF)") [#9575],  [ID 2446]

"Iran has reopened one of its two main border crossings with Afghanistan after a five-month closure caused by instability on the other side, state news agency IRNA reported Thursday.
"From now on all Iranian and foreign nationals holding valid passports can cross to Afghanistan at the Milak border," provincial political and security official Gholam-Reza Javedan was quoted as saying.

Milak is one of two official border crossings between Iran and Afghanistan, and links Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province with the unruly Afghan province of Nimroz.

It was shut in June after 16 people were killed and many others wounded during factional fighting across the border."

Document(s): Open document

09.08.2002 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR: Iran grants UNHCR access to detained Afghans ("Afghanistan Humanitarian Update No. 64") [#8581],  [ID 2448]

"Iran's Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants (BAFIA) has decided to give UNHCR access to detention centres throughout Iran where Afghan nationals threatened with deportation are held, and will permit UNHCR to establish a screening programme to review their asylum claims.
The agreement was reached during a meeting on Wednesday between UNHCR's Chief of Mission, Philippe Lavanchy and the Director General of BAFIA, Ahmad Hosseini, in Tehran.
Under the agreement, described by Lavanchy as a "significant development", UNHCR will have access to detention centres throughout Iran where Afghan nationals threatened with deportation are being held, and will be able to conduct interviews with anyone who may have an asylum claim.
"UNHCR's mandate is two-fold, to protect bona fide refugees and to assist them," Lavanchy said. "Under the agreement reached with BAFIA, we will now be in a position to identify genuine refugee cases who are at risk of being deported and, therefore, fulfil that key protection element of our mandate."
BAFIA has assured UNHCR that Afghans found by the UN refugee agency to be holders of valid documents will be released unconditionally, and that undocumented Afghans considered by UNHCR to have a valid case for refugee status under the new screening programme will be permitted to remain in Iran.
UNHCR is currently making arrangements to implement the screening process in cooperation with BAFIA.
The agreement comes just days before an August 11 deadline – announced by Iranian officials last month – for all unregistered and undocumented Afghans to register with the government and obtain exit permits to leave Iran.
"The August 11 deadline does not apply to documented Afghans," Lavanchy stressed. "Nor does it change the terms of the UNHCR-assisted Voluntary Repatriation Programme, which provides for the repatriation of 400,000 Afghans – both documented and undocumented – in the first year of the operation."
The joint programme on voluntary repatriation – which was signed in Geneva last April by UNHCR, the Iranian government and the Afghan authorities – states that all Afghans in Iran should have access to UNHCR-assisted repatriation services. By implication, that includes those who are registered with the Iranian authorities as well as those who are not.
More than 124,000 Afghans have returned from Iran since UNHCR and BAFIA started the voluntary return programme last April."

Document(s): Open document

25.07.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

AI: Police harassment of Afghan refugees in Iran ("Continuing need for Protection and Standards for Return of Afghan refugees") [#8004],  [ID 2449]

"Police harassment of repatriating Afghan refugees in Iran has also been reported. Afghan refugees in Iran have faced deportations, harassment, violent attacks and exclusion from work."

Document(s): Open document

02.06.2002 - Source: ReliefWeb

Reliefweb/Xinhua: Nearly 60.000 Afghan refugees return voluntarily from Iran; Afghans no longer considered refugees in Iran ("60,000 Afghan refugees repatriated from Iran in two months (Xinhua)") [#7280],  [ID 2450]

"Nearly 60,000 Afghan refugees have voluntarily returned home from Iran since the start of a United Nations-sponsored repatriation plan on April 1, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. Some 59,039 Afghan refugees have voluntarily returned home through Dogharoun border checkpoint in Iran's northeastern province of Khorasan in the past two months, the head of the province's Foreign Nationals and Refugees Affairs Bureau Mahammad Olama told the IRNA. The repatriation action is governed by a tripartite accord signed in Geneva in early April by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Iran and Afghanistan, which envisages the repatriation of 400,000 Afghan refugees in Iran by the end of 2002.

Since the implementation of the plan, all legal and political obstacles for the continued stay of Afghan refugees in Iran have been removed, Olama said, adding that nationals of Afghanistan who remain here are no longer subject to the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees. Afghan refugees will be required to present passports and valid visas to enter Iran as of the date of the accord and illegal entrants will be dealt with according to the laws of the land, the official said."

Document(s): Open document

20.05.2002 - Source: BBC News

BBC: Returnees from Iran report harassment and extortion on the journey from Tehran ("Afghan refugees report Iranian harassment") [#6972],  [ID 2451]

"Refugees returning from Iran to the city of Herat in western Afghanistan say Iranian soldiers and officials harassed them on the way. Many of those arriving at UN reception centres say they used their entire savings to pay bribes on the two-day journey from Tehran. Of some two million Afghans who fled to Iran to escape war and drought, about forty-thousand have returned under a UN aid programme."

Document(s): Open document

10.04.2002 - Source:

UNHCR: Repatriation starts from Iran ("10/04/2002 - UNHCR: Afghanistan Humanitarian Update No. 59") [ID 2453]

"Tuesday, Afghan refugees began repatriating from Iran under a landmark agreement signed on April 3 in Geneva by the governments of Iran and Afghanistan and UNHCR.

In the first two days of the newest repatriation operation, returns from Iran totalled more than 260, typical of the slow start when neighbouring Pakistan started its return programme. The Afghans headed home via western Afghanistan's Islam Qala crossing point, where they were welcomed by Afghan officials overseeing the return operation and boarded IOM trucks for the onward journey to their home provinces.

Returnees from Iran receive $10 – half the sum provided to returnees from Pakistan since IOM provides transport up to their home provinces – to finance their final travel home. They also collect UNHCR family packages containing plastic tarpaulins, jerrycans, blankets, a sleeping mat, soap and hygienic items at the Jami Settlement and the Gazergah Transit Centre in Herat, where WFP also distributes 150 kilogrammes of wheat to each family.

Reports of skirmishes on Tuesday in the western Afghan city of Zaranj, opposite the Iranian border town of Milak, caused UNHCR's partner in Iran, the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigration Affairs (BAFIA) to delay plans to help Afghans repatriate directly to Nimrouz Province. Afghans are being temporarily bussed northwards to Dogharoun where they cross home."

Document(s): 10/04/2002 - UNHCR: Afghanistan Humanitarian Update No. 59

06.04.2002 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

IRIN: Refugee repatriation agreement between Iran, Afghanistan and UNHCR signed ("Afghanistan: Focus on major repatriation accord") [#6435],  [ID 2454]

Document(s): Open document

03.04.2002 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR: Key repatriation agreement with Iran ("Joint Programme Between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Islam, the Interim Authority of Afghanistan, and UNHCR for the Voluntary Repatriation of Afghan Refugees and Displaced Persons") [#6373],  [ID 2455]

Document(s): Open document