Officials from the Embassy of the Islamic Emirate in Tehran held a meeting with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Tehran to discuss the challenges faced by Afghan migrants.
In a statement, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said that the meeting addressed topics such as the health conditions of migrants, missing persons, humanitarian assistance, and the repatriation of Afghan migrants’ bodies to their homeland.
According to the statement, the representative of the ICRC promised to provide further assistance to Afghan migrants in Iran in coordination with other international organizations.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation’s statement added: “A meeting was held between Afghan embassy officials and the deputy attaché for Afghan migrants in Tehran with the president of the Iranian Red Cross to discuss migrant issues in areas such as health, the reunification of missing family members, repatriation of deceased migrants’ bodies from Iran to Afghanistan, and the rehabilitation of migrants in Iran. The ICRC also promised cooperation.”
Qaisullah Qaderi, an international relations expert, said: “Just as a person enjoys certain rights within their own country, they are also entitled to those rights in other countries. Likewise, Afghans must respect the laws of other countries.”
Meanwhile, some migrants who have recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran have shared varying accounts of the harsh challenges they faced while living in Iran.
Rahmatullah, a newly returned migrant, said: “Currently, the situation for migrants in Iran is terrible. In some places, Afghans are not even given dry bread. There is a lot of mistreatment of Afghan migrants as well.”
Abdul Rauf, another recently returned migrant, said: “The Islamic Emirate should provide opportunities for its migrants so that no one has to travel to this country (Iran) for work anymore. There is nothing in these journeys except mistreatment.”
Additionally, the Iranian Human Rights Organization recently reported that at least 14 people, including two Afghans accused of criminal offenses and drug trafficking, have been executed.
Mohammad Khan Mohammadzai, a migrant rights activist, stated: “The governments of both countries should provide a framework based on existing treaties to facilitate the exchange and return of prisoners to their respective countries.”
Previously, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate had said that talks were ongoing between officials of the caretaker government and Iranian officials to find a solution to the problems faced by Afghan migrants in Iran.