Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has spoken about the significant presence of Afghan citizens in Iranian prisons.
He said that during the visit of an Iranian delegation to Kabul, promising agreements were discussed with the Islamic Emirate regarding the transfer of prisoners to Afghanistan.
Esmail Baghaei stated: “The transfer of convicted Afghans to their home country has been ongoing for a long time, and it is a lengthy process. The number of Afghan convicts and detainees in Iranian prisons is high.”
According to the spokesperson of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of Afghan convicts in Iran is substantial, and the process of transferring them to Afghanistan will also take considerable time.
He said: “The numbers are significant, and it imposes substantial costs on the public treasury. Over the past year or two, we have made efforts to transfer Afghan convicts to their homeland.”
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has also announced that the purpose of the visit of Iranian officials to the country was to initiate the process of transferring Afghan prisoners from Iran.
Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, stated: “The main objective of these meetings was to begin the process, with mutual agreement, of transferring Afghan migrants who are detained for various crimes so they can serve their remaining sentences in Afghanistan. We hope for significant progress in this regard.”
“There is a need for diplomatic discussions to release and exchange those individuals who are imprisoned in various countries, especially those who do not have family members or the financial capacity to hire proper legal representation,” Asifa Stanekzai, a migrant rights activist, told TOLOnews.
Previously, some human rights organizations reported the execution of several Afghan citizens by the Iranian government. Meanwhile, some other human rights organizations reported that since the beginning of this year, three Afghans have been executed in Saudi Arabia for various crimes.