19.06.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

HRW calls on Iran to immediately halt the mass deportations of Afghan nationals and investigate allegations that its authorities have abused numerous deportees; since late April 2007, the Iranian government has forcibly deported nearly 100,000 registered and unregistered Afghans living and working in Iran ("Halt Mass Deportation of Afghans") [ID 24237]

"Since late April, the Iranian government has forcibly deported back to Afghanistan nearly 100,000 registered and unregistered Afghans living and working in Iran. The Iranian government says the mass deportation is aimed at reducing the number of illegal immigrants in the country, but Iranian officials have also expelled Afghans who have been registered with the authorities, many of whom have been regarded as refugees (panahandegan) for many years. Iran announced in 2006 that it would “voluntarily repatriate” all of the more than 1 million Afghans remaining in Iran by March 2008, saying that none of those people are refugees.  
 
“Iran can deport people who are there illegally, but it has to give them the chance to contest their deportation or to seek asylum,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s against international law to expel people arbitrarily based on their national origin.”"

Document(s): Open document

08.08.2003 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Many Afgan refugees who have returned from Pakistan and Iran are being attacked, robbed and sexually assaulted ("Security Must Precede Repatriation") [#14897],  [ID 2517]

Document(s): Open document

23.05.2003 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch calls on Australia to not return refugees to instable and insecure regions of Afghanistan; women, minors and persons without family support are vulnerable ("Australia: Don’t Send Afghans Home to Abuse") [#12940],  [ID 2518]

""Reports from the field show that Afghanistan is far from stable," said Alison Parker, a refugee protection expert at Human Rights Watch. "Security forces are still committing serious human rights abuses against local populations. This is not a safe environment for refugees to return to."

International law requires that Afghans who harbor a well-founded fear of persecution be protected from return to places where their lives or freedom are threatened. Officials claim that returnees can, at least, live in Kabul, but this is an unrealistic expectation for many Afghans, who originally come from rural areas and need extended family networks to survive. Australian authorities are not taking into account the specific conditions that Afghans slated for return will face in rural areas.
[...]
Human Rights Watch called on the Australian government to refrain from returning individuals without proper screening that takes into account current human rights conditions in Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch also urged the government to ensure that all recognized refugees enjoy a secure legal status and humanitarian assistance in accordance with international law."

Document(s): Open document

23.07.2002 - Source: Human Rights Watch

HRW: Critique of UNHCR's position that in general the situation in Afghanistan is conducive for safe return ("Afghanistan Unsafe for Refugee Returns/ U.N. Refugee Agency Sending "Misleading" Message") [#7932],  [ID 2519]

"The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should reverse its newly-announced policy of promoting voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said today. […]
In recent statements, UNHCR has cautioned governments not to rush repatriation before conditions are stabilized in Afghanistan - in direct contrast to its most recent position. On July 2, UNHCR announced that it was suspending assisted returns from Herat to Faryab and Samangan provinces and to parts of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, because of continued insecurity. In May 2002, the UNHCR spokesperson in Kabul, Yusuf Hassan, called on governments not to put undue pressure on Afghanistan by prematurely promoting repatriation.
"UNHCR has itself admitted that conditions are unsafe in parts of Afghanistan. So why advocate for refugees to return now?" said Reilly.
UNHCR has suggested that if Afghans with pending asylum claims are encouraged to voluntarily repatriate, it would relieve the pressure on asylum systems. But Human Rights Watch said this argument plays into the hands of governments such as Australia and the United Kingdom that are already putting pressure on Afghan refugees to return. [...]
In addition to the security problems facing returnees, many were not in fact returning to their homes but merely becoming internally displaced in urban centers like Kabul and Herat, contributing to the existing strain on infrastructure and resources, Human Rights Watch said.
"There are serious doubts about the absorption capacity of Afghanistan and whether humanitarian agencies have the funding and resources to cope with the large-scale returns that UNHCR is promoting," said Reilly.[…]
Human Rights Watch called on UNHCR to postpone its promotion of voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan. UNHCR's own guidelines state that voluntary repatriation should not be promoted unless "the large majority of refugees" can return "in safety and with dignity" and the country of origin has "provided a formal guarantee, or adequate assurances for the safety of repatriation refugees."
"These preconditions clearly have not been met in Afghanistan," said Reilly."

Document(s): Open document