Violent push-backs, shootings, arbitrary detentions: Amnesty International denounces the treatment by Turkish and Iranian authorities of Afghans trying to leave their country in a report released today.
“Iranian and Turkish security forces illegally and repeatedly forcibly repatriated Afghans trying to cross their borders to safety, notably by illegally opening fire on men, women and children,” according to the report.
Amnesty conducted research in March in Afghanistan, gathering accounts from 74 people who were forcibly repatriated. 48 of them reported that they came under fire when they tried to cross the borders of either Iran or Turkey.
According to the NGO, Iranian forces “unlawfully killed and injured dozens” of people by opening fire on overloaded vehicles. “Turkish border guards also illegally used live bullets,” according to Amnesty researcher Marie Forestier.
Investigators met with relatives of six men and a 16-year-old boy who were shot dead by Iranian security forces as they tried to cross the border into the Islamic Republic between April 2021 and January 2022. In total, the group recorded 11 refugee killings attributed to to the Iranian security forces.
According to Amnesty International, border guards fired at people who had scaled border walls, crossed fences or crossed the border on foot or in cars and were now inside Iranian territory.
The organization also claims 3 deaths of Afghans from Turkish security forces.
Many of those who managed to cross the border between the two countries suffered torture and arbitrary detention in Iran and Turkey before being forcibly returned to Afghanistan, according to the NGO.
According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, around 43,000 Afghans were deported to their country this year.
The Geneva Convention on Refugees (1951) stipulates that refugees should not be readmitted to countries where their life and freedom are threatened.
“We ask the Turkish and Iranian authorities to immediately put an end to all deportations and illegal refoulements and to guarantee safe passage and access to asylum procedures” for Afghans seeking international protection, Amnesty International emphasizes.
It also calls on the international community to financially support countries that welcome and host Afghan refugees, including Iran and Turkey.
Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have fled their country since the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as the humanitarian situation deteriorated rapidly, Amnesty International said.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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