As an operation to deport Afghan refugees continues in Iran, a news report has claimed that even legal refugees are being forced out of the country.
The report, published by Afgahnistan based TOLO News, quotes Afghan officials posted in Herat to say that many refugees were ‘violently’ forced out of Iran and their passports and visas torn.
Abdullah Qayoumi, the head of immigration affairs at Islam Qala port in Herat, told TOLO that the Iranian government is simply not treating the passports as valid.
He added that the people with passports had the right to travel and find work in Iran.
“They are saying in the media that we are deporting those immigrants who do not have passports and legal documents, while this is not true,” Qayoumi was quoted as saying.
The report also quoted two Afghans, named Mohammad Naser and Khairullah, who said they were deported despite having valid documents.
The process of deportation of Afghan refugees has been going on for some time, but officials in Herat say the number has doubled over the last month.
A report from earlier in November had said that over 400,000 refugees have already been deported from Iran. The report said that the Iranian government believed that the refugees were involved in terrorism.
Meanwhile, the process of expelling refugees is also going on in Pakistan. Authorities in Pakistan have also insisted that only undocumented refugees are being sent back across the border.
