Turkey pushing back Afghans at Iran's border: Human Rights Watch

KABUL: Turkey is routinely pushing tens of thousands of Afghans at its land border with Iran or deporting them directly to Afghanistan with little or no examination of their claims for international protection, Tolo News reported citing Human Rights Watch's report.

"Human Rights Watch also found that Afghans inside Turkey are being blocked from registering for international protection and that Afghans facing imminent deportation are often given no opportunity to make refugee claims," the report stated.

According to the report, Turkey had deported 44, 768 Afghans by air to Kabul in the first eight months of 2022, which is a 150 per cent rise from the first eight months of 2021.

The 73-page report, "No One Asked Me Why I Left Afghanistan," said that Turkey has stepped up pushback and deportations to Afghanistan since the Islamic Emirate took control in Afghanistan in August 2021, according to Tolo News.

Meanwhile, some Afghans who have recently been deported from Turkey spoke of the bad behaviour of the Turkish police during their return to the country.

"They treated us really badly, they beat us, they beat us in a way that we have never faced in our life," said Ehsanullah, a deported Afghan from Turkey.

"We said that we had come to work and because of our troubles, we came to Turkey for employment. We didn't want to be deported, we didn't accept deportation," said another deported Afghan from Turkey, Tolo News reported.

Meanwhile, some experts in international relations believed that the deportation of Afghani refugees from different nations constitutes a violation of the conventions and laws governing refugee affairs.

"Forcible deportation of Afghan immigrants from Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan is a clear violation of international laws and agreements in the affairs of refugees and might significantly endanger these Afghans' lives and dignity," said Nasir Ahmad Tareki, an expert in international relations.

Earlier, the Ministry of Refugee and Repatriations said that Turkey has promised not to deport Afghan refugees. For this purpose, a joint commission between Kabul and Ankara has been established to solve the problem of refugees.

Meanwhile, some analysts said that around 190,000 Afghans have been deported from Iran within the past six months, Tolo News reported According to the analysts, the lack of jobs in the country and human rights violations have forced people to fly to neighbouring countries like Iran, and Turkey by unlawful means.

"I hope our country is developed and job opportunities are created for youth. I have witnessed a lot of problems in Iran," said a deportee, Abdul Ghafor.

Earlier, in May, 1,094 Afghan nationals who had taken refuge in neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Iran returned home, as per the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR), reported Tolo News.