Iran continues mass expulsions of Afghan refugees

by Drew - WPRM Fri Mar 07, 2008 15:02

Like Britain, like Ireland, like the US, Iran is a cold house for immigrants. Another million will now be shown the door.

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All Afghan citizens in Iran without valid refugee documents will be deported, Seyyed Taghi Ghaemi, director of the Iranian bureau for aliens and foreign immigrants, told reporters at the end of a two-day meeting with Afghan and UN officials in Kabul on 3 March.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says it does not know exactly how many unregistered Afghans are living in Iran, but Iranian officials estimate there are over one million.

Afghan officials have warned that mass deportations would cause a humanitarian crisis. Iran deported tens of thousands of Afghans in 2007, which sparked a humanitarian emergency and a political crisis in Afghanistan.

by Plato Fri Mar 07, 2008 19:10

What this post fails to tell us is that Iran has been hosting huge numbers of refugess and is second only to Pakistan in numbers that they look after. The Afghans who sought shelter in Iran were in fear of the Taliban and following the defeat and removal from power of the Taliban, there was no urgent reason for Afghanistan citizen to remain in Iran The refugees are a huge burden on the Iranian people. However following consultation with UNCHR and the government of Afghanistan in Feb 2007, Iran agreed to remain hosts for 915,000 Afghan refugess for another year to allow for the orderly return of Afghanistan citizens to their homeland. That agreement expires on the 19th March 2008. It is nothing short of dispicable propoganda to portray the Iranians in this case as being hard hearted. They have been looking after a Million refugees now for up to 4 years with little or no assistance from the west. UNCHR recognises that Iran cannot be expeced to carry this burden and has nothing but praise for the generousity of the Iranian people in this matter. It should also be noted that the repatriation programme is essentially a voluntary one and no force has been or will be employed. Check with the UNCHR for deatils.

But is it not strange that those that post here telling who awful Iran is to live in with all sorts of oppessive laws etc, are now posting telling us that Iran is having to force people to leave the place.

by Plato Fri Mar 07, 2008 19:20

This is the latest report from UNCHR on the refugee situation in Iran amnd I draw your attention to paragragh 6 in particular.

UNHCR protection chief launches fresh look at Afghan situation

TEHRAN, Islamic Republic of Iran, February 27 (UNHCR) – The deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the difficulty in sustaining their lives back in their country is making Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan reluctant to return home.

The matter has been addressed by UNHCR's top protection official, Erika Feller, who wraps up a five-day mission to the Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday after travelling around the country to meet refugees and reflect with the Iranian authorities on the way forward in this new phase of the Afghan refugee situation.

"What has struck me during this visit is the variety of situations Afghan refugees are living in and the fact that the lack of security in Afghanistan is topmost in influencing their decisions to return home," Feller, UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, said after visiting the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, the north-east city of Mashad near the border with Afghanistan, and the region surrounding Tehran.

There are some 920,000 refugees from Afghanistan in Iran. Many have been here for more than 20 years, fleeing successive waves of conflict in their home country from the 1979 Soviet invasion through to the 1996-2001 Taliban rule.

"During the peak of the refugee returns in 2004 there were up to 5,000 people a day going home to Afghanistan. In 2007, that number of refugees went home during the course of the year. So, we are at a turning point and have to reflect on the way forward with the Iranian authorities for those remaining here," Feller noted. More than 1.5 million Afghans have returned home since 2002, including 846,000 with help from UNHCR.

"Iran has hosted Afghan refugees on its territory for more than two decades and has a very solid track record in providing assistance. The refugees generally have access to basic health care and education and have not been under the threat of forced return," said Feller. "I heard many times how refugees feel part of this culture with a number being born here and knowing no other life," she added.

Refugees that Feller spoke to in various parts of the country listed their main concerns about returning home as lack of security, employment, education, health clinics and access to land in Afghanistan.

"Investing in education, the skills and capacity of the refugees is really important so they can make a real contribution back home in Afghanistan to rebuilding their country, or – if they go to a new country – in restarting their lives," said Feller, who met a number of refugee students keen to continue their education.

In October, Sistan-Baluchistan was declared a no-go area (NGA) for refugees and foreigners because of the criminality in the region, including drug smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism. Afghan refugees are concerned about facing a choice of relocation inside Iran, either to camps or cities, or going back to an untenable situation in Afghanistan.

"One by-product of this could be the possible loss of refugee status for people making this choice," said Feller.

Some 83,000 refugees live in Sistan-Baluchistan, including Mohamed Rustum, who resides with his family in the Shir Abad slum area of the provincial capital, Zahedan. "Why should I go back to Afghanistan? There I have neither earth nor sky," he told Feller. Mohamed said that, like many illiterate Afghans in Zahedan, he worked as a day labourer to support his family.

Under the NGA relocation scheme, some refugees, such as students or those with medical conditions, can move to cities. But the refugees fear losing the supportive environment they currently live in and are scared they will be unable to integrate into urban or camp life.

"They chose to live in this area because of its culture. They feel very comfortable here, like they are in Afghanistan. This idea of camps is very strange to them," said a UNHCR staff member in Zahedan. Some refugees said they felt unwelcome in the cities because they had no relatives there.

Afghan women refugees, who can work informally and move around freely in Iran, fear they would face restrictions in Afghanistan. A number of them work as housemaids in Iranian homes, something they could not do in Afghanistan.

Feller also discussed the refugees' concerns with the government refugee body – the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigration Affairs – and the challenges of the future. She hopes to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan in the coming months to get a full overview of the Afghan refugee situation.

The review of the Afghan situation is part of a UNHCR initiative to have a fresh look at various protracted refugee situations around the world.

By Jennifer Pagonis
in Teheran, Islamic Republic of Iran

by Drew - WPRM Fri Mar 07, 2008 19:30

"All Afghan citizens in Iran without valid refugee documents will be deported, Seyyed Taghi Ghaemi, director of the Iranian bureau for aliens and foreign immigrants, told reporters at the end of a two-day meeting with Afghan and UN officials in Kabul on 3 March. "

What part of that dont you understand? The Iranian Regime says they are going to deport the Afghans. You are obviously a supporter of the Iranian Regime.

by Plato Fri Mar 07, 2008 19:51

I have merely relayed UNCHR report. The Iranians have been generous to a fault in helping refugees for the past twenty years. The credibility of those that posted this threads is now exposed for what it is-crude propaganda. Again readers can check with UNCHR regarding their views on this matter.

by Drew - WPRM Mon Mar 10, 2008 18:31

Reports on how Afghans have been forcibly expelled from Iran illustrate the mendacity of Plato.
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Hoden Makhtab, 40, a mother and deportee from Tehran, says: "We had lived in a house, but we left everything we owned when the (Iranian) government returned us here. There are eight people in my family. We came back here six months ago but the Afghan government has not given us any help. They haven't even visited us." ...

But the lion’s share is from Iran, where authorities have expelled thousands of Afghans in the recent months. Most of the residents here arrived from Iran and erected tents just six months ago, mirroring a process occurring in other major Afghan cities. ..

Like Makhtab, others here accuse the Iranian government of forcibly evicting them. "I went to Sheraz, Iran, 20 years ago," Fazel Ghrias tells IPS, as he furnishes a Tehran-issued refugee ID card. "We lived in tents in Iran, but the government helped us. Then one day (six months ago) they said 'your country has freedom now, you can go back’." Ghrias claims that Iranian soldiers forced the refugees to board trucks at gunpoint, and then ransacked the tents, taking all the money they could find.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41344
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Mass deportation to add to woes of Afghanistan

The Afghan government has once again called upon the Iranian government to suspend its deportation of thousands of Afghans living in Iran illegally until after winter to avoid a humanitarian crisis.

“We do not have the capacity to receive a large number of deportees from Iran,” Shir Mohammad Etibari, said minister for refugees and returnees. “We will face a humanitarian crisis if Iran resumes a mass deportation of Afghans,” he added.

Iran deported over 360,000 undocumented Afghans in 2007, which caused an unanticipated humanitarian emergency in some parts of Afghanistan, aid agencies said.

http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/157994/1/
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by Plato Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:48

The Unhcr web address,

www.UNHCR.org/Iran

by tomeile Tue Mar 11, 2008 13:03

The WPRM is an avowed Maoist and Stalinist organization. Its representatives have no right whatsoever to be lecturing anybody, anywhere on the subjects of human rights or mass expulsions. Stalin expelled 500,000 Chechens to Central Asia from the North Caucasus in one day ,23 February 1944.
http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=4067

A similar fate befell the Polish population in Belarus and Ukraine who were either murdered or deported to Kazakhstan in 1934-1938.

According to wikipedia :
“The partial removal of potentially trouble-making ethnic groups was a technique used consistently by Joseph Stalin during his career: Poles (1939-1941 and 1944-1945), Romanians (1941 and 1944-1953) Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians (1941 and 1945-1949), Volga Germans (1941), Chechens, Ingushs (1944), Large numbers of kulaks regardless of their nationality were resettled to Siberia and Central Asia. Shortly before, during and immediately after World War II, Stalin conducted a series of deportations on a huge scale which profoundly affected the ethnic map of the Soviet Union.[2] It is estimated that between 1941 and 1949 nearly 3.3 million were deported to Siberia and the Central Asian republics.[5] By some estimates up to 43% of the resettled population died of diseases and malnutrition.”

As for Mao ,deportations started by that monster in the late sixties resulted in 17 million people being displaced by the mid seventies . Mao’s protégé ,Pol Pot ,deported 150,000 ethnic Chinese from Cambodia in 1975 .
Here’s a photo of Mao and his pupil Pol Pot together :
http://voyage.typepad.com/china/2007/02/pol_pot_and_mao....html

by Plato Tue Mar 11, 2008 17:10

"Reports on how Afghans have been forcibly expelled from Iran illustrate the mendacity of Plato."

This desire to call those that do not agree with you names is never far from the surface. The facts regarding the Iranian peoples great efforts to assist refugees are from the UNHCR. Plato offers no information other than that supplied by the UN workers on the ground in the region. Scouring the internet for copy that seems to support a biased point of view is useless in the face of documented information from the UN

by Plato Tue Mar 11, 2008 17:33

“The low scale of voluntary return from Iran can imply that Afghan refugees receive good hospitality there and are not forced to leave,”
Ahmad Nader Farhad, a UNCHR spokesman in Kabul.

The above quote from a UNCHR report was accidentally omitted from the previous Plato post.

by Drew - WPRM Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:28

The Iranian Government spokesman has stated that the refugees are to be deported. The above articles prove it. No amount of lies or distortion will change that.

by Plato Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:53

"The Iranian Government spokesman has stated that the refugees are to be deported. The above articles prove it. No amount of lies or distortion will change that"

So the UN are now telling lies. Can we trust anyone anymore?
Your dogged refusal to acknowledge the generousity of the Iranian people with regard to how they give unparalleled assistance to their neighbours in distress is to be deplored. The credibilty of all those posts attacking Iran are now shown to be what they are. Bile. I challange you and your colleagues to organise a trip to the region so that the situation on the ground can be seen for what it is and UN officials that are posted to the area can be spoken to.

by Drew - WPRM Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:08

This is from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs :

____

Iran says it will deport over one million Afghans

All Afghan citizens in Iran without valid refugee documents will be deported, Seyyed Taghi Ghaemi, director of the Iranian bureau for aliens and foreign immigrants, told reporters at the end of a two-day meeting with Afghan and UN officials in Kabul on 3 March.

Afghanistan, the fifth least developed country in the world, does not have the capacity to integrate large numbers of returning refugees and deportees, UN and Afghan officials said.

Afghan officials have warned that mass deportations would cause a humanitarian crisis. Iran deported tens of thousands of Afghans in 2007, which sparked a humanitarian emergency and a political crisis in Afghanistan.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77107

The UN has clearly stated that Afghanisan cannot cope with large numbers of deportees.

I wonder if Pato supports the deportation of Afghan asylum seekers from or Ireland or perhaps its case of :

Iranian Deportations Good!

Irish Deportations Bad!

by Plato Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:54

This is a quote from the latest report from an UN official who is in Teheran, not sitting in a comfortable office somewhere looking for bad comments to post about Iran

"Iran has hosted Afghan refugees on its territory for more than two decades and has a very solid track record in providing assistance. The refugees generally have access to basic health care and education and have not been under the threat of forced return," Jennifer Pagonis unchr
in Teheran Feb 2008

The following is a quote from a commissioned report for the US congress, no friends of the Iranian people, which gives a background to what is a very complex situation.

"January 26, 2007
Rhoda Margesson
Specialist in Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Report to US congress
Historical Background and Status of Afghans.
As with Pakistan, the history of Afghan migration to Iran long predates the refugee crisis. Thousands ofethnic Turkmen, for instance, sought work in Iran in the 19th century, and received
official recognition from the Persian government. The flow continued a century later,
when many Afghans sought work in Iran during the oil crisis of the 1970s, and when,
because of increasing international demand and high oil prices, Iran both needed and
could afford foreign workers.38 The cross-border flow picked up dramatically,
however, after the Soviet invasion of 1979. By 1981, some 1.5 million Afghans were
estimated to have fled to Iran. The number would expand to over 3 million by 1990.39
The status of Afghans in Iran went through several changes over the course of
the refugee crisis. Although Iran is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention,
Afghans fleeing the Soviet invasion were initially greeted not as refugees
(panahandegan) but as “involuntary religious migrants” (mohajerin). While this
category, based on Islamic principles, was technically not an international legal
designation, it was considered a higher-status term than “refugee” in
post-revolutionary Iran, Mohajerin were given indefinite permission to reside in
Iran and had access to free education and subsidized health care and food.
Although 1.4 million Afghans are estimated to have repatriated in 1992, well over
a million remained in Iran. Beginning in 1993, new migrants were no longer deemed
to be fleeing religious persecution and were categorized as refugees (panahandegan);
instead of being granted indefinite residency status, they were issued with temporary
registration cards. After the fall of the Taliban, Afghans once again began to return
in large numbers to Afghanistan."

It is beyond comprehension that anyone would seek to attack and criticise Iran given its history of supporting refugess over the past few decades They have done more than any other country in the world for those that they have no responsibility for. What other country would take in such numbers when fleeing war and persecution?
The situation in Afghanistan has become less dangerous and it is only reasonable to expect that those who were given assistance should return to their own country when conditions allow.

Regarding the familiar childish finish, "This good, that bad" , my view is that everyone fleeing persecution must receive humanitarian assistance. It is reasonable that when circumstances permit, they should return to their homeland.

Russia and the west have been engaging in wars in the region for years now and their activity has caused the instabiltiy which in turn is creating the refugee problem. When will they allow Afghhan refugees to enter their countries? Should we not be reserving our criticism for those that are creating the problem in the first place rather than a country that has done every thing in it's power to help the displaced? Your sense of what is right or wrong, just or injust must surely be called into question. Or do you simply have an agenda?

by Drew - WPRM Wed Mar 12, 2008 13:05

None of the above changes the fact that Iran is forcibly deporting hundreds of thousands of refugees. Despite yopur attempts at cover up, an Iranian Givernment spokesman has said so. The UN confirm it.

Its reasonable that refugees should voluntarily return to their country when it is safe to do so. But that is not the case now. Iran is deliberately deporting these refugees to their deaths from starvation and disease. You know that yet you are spindoctoring on behalf of the Iranian Government.

There is nothing childish about exposing your hypocrisy and lies. You are supporting the forcible deportation of Iranian asylum seekers.

You are the one with an agenda here. That agenda is to support the Iranian Government in every circumstance.

No deportation of asylum seekers from Iran and no deportation of asylum seekers from Ireland!

by saoirse Wed Mar 12, 2008 13:09

Drew, you have scored a spectacular own goal on this one I’m afraid.

Iran’s track record with regard to refugees is second to none. It has over the past two decades hosted more refugees on its territory than nearly every other country on earth. It has done more than any other country by far in the Middle East for refugees manufactured by US aggression.

Your hatred of all things Iranian is becoming fairly obvious as you expect standards of Iran that are impossible to satisfy.

Iran will deport illegal Afghani’s NOT refugees. That is a practice standard throughout the globe without much criticism from your quarter I might add.
The process has been agreed with the UN and the Afghan Government both of whom have stated uncategorically that Iran is well within its rights to do so.

Afghanis will not return voluntarily to Afghanistan because they are treated so well in Iran.

The US has created this situation, it has turned Afghanistan into a quagmire and continues to financially punish Iran for not doing its bidding. Millions of illegal Afghani's within Iran is simply unsustainable, yet despite this Iran continues to provide assistance and has shown unparalleled understanding in their plight.

Attack the US on this matter not Iran. This is nothing but a manufactured story designed to attack Iran and sullie its impeccable track record in accommodating refugees

by Plato Wed Mar 12, 2008 13:19

"None of the above changes the fact that Iran is forcibly deporting hundreds of thousands of refugees."

Well a simple solution, let the west and Russia take them in. Do you agree? I'll let you ask.

" Despite your attempts at cover up, an Iranian Givernment spokesman has said so."

The Iranian government has been painstakingly trying to point out the obvious to the world that they cannot continue indefinately to carry this problem. Do you think they should? Why?

" The UN confirm it."

Wrong, the quote from Teheran is taken from the UN website.

"There is nothing childish about exposing your hypocrisy and lies. "

Everything I posted is quotes from those that know the situation on the ground. No axe to grind, just there to help.

"You are supporting the forcible deportation of Iranian asylum seekers."

Now your becoming silly

"No deportation of asylum seekers from Iran and no deportation of asylum seekers from Ireland!"

So this little chant is all you have to contribute. That's a big help and it says it all really.

by Drew - WPRM Wed Mar 12, 2008 14:11

Saoirse means freedom. But for you it means the freedom to throw people out. I oppose US Imperialism but that doesnt mean that I have to defend Iranian deportations.

"Iran will deport illegal Afghani’s NOT refugees. "

But thats exactly the argument of the Irish, British, US governments. You seem to be happy that the Iranian Government is just as bad.You call them "Illegal Afghanis", I call them human beings who the Iranian Regime are sending to die of hunger and disease.

Would you and Plato support this if the US government was doing it?

by Drew - WPRM Wed Mar 12, 2008 14:34

This article is also on the UNHCR website. Dont be taken in by Platos lies.

Iran says it will deport over one million Afghans
All Afghan citizens in Iran without valid refugee documents will be deported, Seyyed Taghi Ghaemi, director of the Iranian bureau for aliens and foreign immigrants, told reporters at the end of a two-day meeting with Afghan and UN officials in Kabul on 3 March.
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?...d8cf2

by saoirse Wed Mar 12, 2008 14:36

You will make yourself dizzy if you keep spinning like that Drew.

Perhaps in your rush to attack Iran you have failed to see the crux of this.

Iran cannot be expected to carry this burden indefinitely.

You speak of excuses yet utterly dismiss Iran’s track record to date and the BILLIONS it has spent in aiding and accommodating those who fled oppression.

You are the person who continually attacks Iran saying its government oppresses its people yet in the same breath you claim this very same government has to actually forcibly remove illegal Afghan's. Can you not see the inherent hypocrisy, not to mention idiocy of that position?

You have not addressed any of the points put to you. Instead you bounce all over the place desperately trying to justify your position on this despite it being blown so full of holes by legitimate information sourced from legitimate organisations that all you can do now is attempt to compare the US's appalling track record with regarding refugees and that of Iran which is recognised internationally as having one of the best records in the world in its treatment of refugees. Do you not care how utterly silly you look pursing this obvious propaganda?

Silly stuff going here not worthy of further comment. Anyone with a shred of cognizance can see what’s happening on this thread. I'll leave it to them to make up their own minds as to who is telling lies on this matter.

by Drew - WPRM Wed Mar 12, 2008 14:53 wprm_ireland at yahoo dot com

I don't really think that I have to mention the US appalling treatment of refugees and indeed migrants as this thread is about Iran, a totally different country. Such treatment however comes at the end of a litany of criminal acts and for the record I remain convinced that the US is currently the greatest enemy of mankind and I would like to see it brought down. I also oppose the Iranian regime and support the struggle of its people to bring it down.

We have to remember that the people who are so courageously fighting the Iranian regime now, are the same people who condemned the Iranian regime's craven support for the US in its invasion of Afghanistan. At least those struggling in Iran are consistent.

by Ali Thu May 06, 2010 13:52

The Iranian Regime continues to treat Afghan refugees in a terrible manner. Refugees deserve proper treatment no matter where they are, be it Ireland, USA or Iran.

Hundreds of Afghans have demonstrated against alleged ill-treatment and executions of a number Afghan refugees by the Iranian authorities.

Their protest follows a recent visit by a delegation of Afghan MPs to Iran to assess the plight of one million Afghans who live in the country. Several thousand have been arrested by the Iranian authorities and hundreds are reported to be on death row.

Some MPs say more than 50 Afghans have been executed by Iran in recent weeks.

by Ali Fri May 14, 2010 19:36

Afghans continue to protest about their inhuman treatment by the Iranian Regime.

Thousands of Afghans have protested in the eastern city of Jalalabad against the alleged executions of a number of Afghan refugees in Iran. Demonstrators rallied in front of the Iranian consulate, shouting slogans and throwing eggs. This is the fifth and largest anti-Iran protest in Afghanistan in a fortnight.

Protesters and rights groups say Iran has executed 45 Afghans in recent weeks on drug smuggling charges. Tehran and Kabul officials put the number at six. Between 4,000 and 5,000 Afghans have been arrested by the Iranian authorities and hundreds are reported to be on death row, activists say.

Iranian officials refuse to confirm how many Afghans are at risk of execution.