Iran relents on Afghan refugees

Several hundred Afghans have been sent home

By regional analyst Pam O'Toole

Officials from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees say Iran has pledged to end the recent wave of forcible deportations of Afghans.

The move comes after two days of talks between UNHCR and Iranian officials.

The refugee agency lodged a protest with Tehran, following reports that hundreds of Afghan nationals had been forcibly deported over the past week.

The wave of deportations struck fear into the hearts of Tehran's large Afghan population and created concern among human rights organisations.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards were said to have indiscriminately rounded up Afghan nationals in parts of the capital and moved them to detention centres before forcing them back across the Afghan border.

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Some sources said several hundred people had been returned to Afghanistan in this way; others said the number could be in the thousands.

UNHCR said some of the deportees could have been genuine refugees in need of international protection.

Afghan opposition leaders based in Tehran also called for an end to the forced returns.

Voluntary scheme

UNHCR officials say the Iranian authorities have now pledged to end the deportations and concentrate instead on a new UN-backed scheme for voluntary repatriation, due to start next month.

The scheme, agreed in February, was supported by the UN in the hope it would put a stop to the rising number of indiscriminate and forced deportations of Afghans from Iran.

Tehran has argued for years that it can no longer afford to host the 1.4 million Afghans on its territory.

It has been pushing particularly for the return of up to 500,000 it says are either in the country illegally or without documents.

The voluntary repatriation scheme will give undocumented Afghans six months to register to return home, but also allows those who believe they would be at risk in Afghanistan to apply to remain in Iran.