A group of human rights activists, former military personnel, and women’s rights advocates have addressed an open letter to the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and the international community, urging immediate action to stop the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran. They condemned the ongoing forced returns, which are carried out without proper assessment of the migrants’ individual circumstances.
This open letter has been jointly issued by 44 movements, organizations, councils, associations, and cultural and social entities supporting women, refugees, and other vulnerable groups.
The signatories warned of the severe risks associated with the forced return of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan, emphasizing that such actions are in violation of Tehran and Islamabad’s international obligations and fundamental principles of human rights.
According to the letter, evidence and field reports reveal that both governments are forcibly returning Afghan migrants, particularly those from high-risk groups, without due consideration of their specific situations.
The groups identified as particularly vulnerable include former military and security personnel of the previous Afghan government, women activists, journalists, human rights defenders, civil society figures, religious and ethnic minorities, and unaccompanied children.
The letter states that if returned to Afghanistan, these individuals face the real threat of being identified, arrested, tortured, forcibly disappeared, executed, or subjected to extrajudicial punishment by the Taliban.
It also highlights the situation of women and girls under Taliban rule, asserting that forcibly sending women back to Afghanistan constitutes a grave violation of human rights and amounts to psychological torture and gender-based violence.
The signatories called on responsible agencies and member states of the international community to take urgent action by establishing emergency resettlement mechanisms, documenting the legal status of Afghan refugees, and holding relevant bodies—especially the UNHCR—accountable to ensure the deportations come to an end.
The letter concludes with a stark warning: “Failure to fulfill this duty is not only a breach of the global conscience but also constitutes indirect complicity in exposing migrants to danger and violence.”
The authors believe that diplomatic and legal pressure on the governments of Iran and Pakistan to comply with their international commitments is both necessary and effective in addressing this urgent humanitarian crisis.