The HRD+ Asked the UN to Reach Out to the Afghan Migrants in Iran
The Human Rights Defenders Forum warned that continued tensions against Afghan migrants in Iran could have dire consequences for the cultural and social relations between the two countries
According to Mohajir Times, citing Afghanistan International, the Human Rights Defenders+, a coordination network of human rights activists inside and outside Afghanistan, has urged the international community and the United Nations to intervene promptly to reduce and eliminate tensions and “inhumane treatment” with Afghan migrants and asylum seekers in Iran.
This Geneva-based organization issued a statement calling on Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN Refugee Agency, to urgently investigate the conditions of Afghan migrants and to travel to Tehran to discuss the matter with Iranian officials.
In recent days, there have been reports of collective attacks on Afghan migrants in various Iranian cities, including Tehran. Some of these reports indicate that Afghan migrants have been assaulted and their homes set on fire. The Human Rights Defenders Assembly has also requested the Iranian government to treat Afghan migrants in accordance with internationally accepted standards and to refrain from what it describes as “promoting hatred against Afghan migrants.”
The statement also called on the member states of the 1951 Refugee Convention to initiate “constructive diplomacy at global and regional levels” to improve the situation of Afghan migrants in Iran. The statement urged the Iranian people to show tolerance towards Afghan migrants who "deserve humanitarian support in the current circumstances."
The Human Rights Defenders+ warned that continued tensions against Afghan migrants in Iran could have dire consequences for the cultural and social relations between the two countries, which share deep historical and cultural roots. Following news reports of the death of an Iranian citizen in a conflict with three Afghan migrants, several Afghan migrants in Tehran have reported widespread mistreatment by local residents in eastern Tehran.
Last week, it was reported that an Iranian citizen had been killed following a conflict with three Afghan migrants who had previously visited his brother's apartment to collect maintenance fees. After this incident, several Afghan migrants from eastern Tehran wrote to Afghanistan International, reporting that local residents had been attacking Afghan migrants in parks, streets, and metro stations in recent days.
Additionally, videos received by Afghanistan International show local residents in District 15 of eastern Tehran beating several individuals, the senders of the videos claiming that the victims are Afghan migrants.
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