Kobra Gholami Will Not Be Deported
According to follow-ups I made with the Khorasan Razavi governor’s office, Kobra Gholami has been allowed to stay in Iran and is currently in good physical condition at the Sefid Sang camp
Mohajir Times: The case of Kobra Gholami, a social researcher and Afghanistani-Hazara migrant, who was reportedly sent to the Sefid Sang camp by the police for not observing hijab, has caused concern. This incident prompted Afghanistani migrant activists in Iran, as well as Iranian civil activists, to follow up on the issue through the relevant foreign nationals’ offices up to the Presidency of Iran. They aim to bring Kobra, who was alone and unaccompanied, back. However, data indicates that there is still no information about Kobra’s whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Shima Vezvaei, a communication researcher and Iranian citizen who has been closely following Kobra’s case, stated in an exclusive interview with the Iranian Newspaper Ham-Mihan on Saturday, August 3, 2024: “Social activists, researchers, and Afghan activists have raised the issue with the foreign nationals’ offices and the Presidency, and they have announced that they are following up on the matter. Tracking Kobra’s deportation case is somewhat complicated because it involves individuals working within related organizations.
We indirectly contacted the governor’s office and organizations that Kobra collaborated with, and it was agreed that a letter would be sent. We know that Kobra is still in Iran, in a camp within Khorasan province. We want the foreign nationals’ office to intervene; this deportation happened very quickly, and she had no opportunity to return or appeal. Kobra was a student in Iran, active in civic associations, and had residency documents. She didn’t even have a chance to call her family or have a lawyer.”
Today, August 4, 2024, in the latest updates that have shed light on Kobra’s situation, Shahnaz Ramaram, a cultural and social activist, wrote on her X and Telegram channel: “Kobra Gholami will not be deported. According to follow-ups I made with the Khorasan Razavi governor’s office, Kobra Gholami has been allowed to stay in Iran and is currently in good physical condition at the Sefid Sang camp until the order of the relevant authorities. She will be handed over to her family in Iran in the coming days, and the threat of deportation has been lifted.”
Many activists previously expressed concern about Kobra Gholami’s situation, including Shima Vezvaei, who wrote: “We are absolutely unaware of Kobra Gholami’s condition. Despite multiple interventions and official and unofficial promises to stop the deportation, Kobra has not made contact or returned. We must not stop following up on Kobra’s situation...”
This is amidst a renewed wave of migrant fear and xenophobia in Iran, fueled by various suspicious sources. Unfortunately, police forces are forcibly deporting Afghan immigrants, especially Hazara community refugees and migrants, without proper investigation or legal proceedings. These forced deportations without judicial proceedings affect not only Kobra Gholami but also many other migrants with valid passports and residency documents who are being expelled from Iran in judicial silence.
Therefore, migration and civil activists are not only concerned about the illegal and unjustified deportations but are also deeply worried about the safety and lives of the deported migrants, especially women, children, and activists from ethnic and religious minorities under Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
