GENEVA, Switzerland (5 July 2025) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) expresses deep concern over the Islamic Republic of Iran’s plan to forcibly deport hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees and undocumented migrants. The lack of individual risk assessments, legal access, or due process constitutes a grave violation of international human rights standards and the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee law. This action risks exacerbating the already critical humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
“We stand in full solidarity with the Afghan people and urge the Government of Iran to uphold its obligations under international human rights and refugee law. The looming threat of mass deportations is not only a humanitarian crisis in the making, it sets a dangerous precedent that risks normalizing unlawful and inhumane responses to displacement. We cannot, in good conscience, look away while the most vulnerable ones and those who fled persecution and discrimination are put at further risks back in Afghanistan”, said Mary Aileen Diaz-Bacalso, Executive Director, FORUM-ASIA
Mass Deportations Underway Ahead of 6 July Deadline
On 29 June 2025, Iranian authorities issued a final ultimatum: all undocumented Afghan nationals must leave the country voluntarily or face forced expulsion by the final deadline of 6 July. Since the escalation of tensions following the recent Israel-Iran conflict, the situation of Afghanistan’s refugees and asylum seekers in Iran has deteriorated.
The number of Afghan returnees from Iran has surged dramatically, increasing from approximately 5,000 returnees daily to nearly 30,000 individuals per day. Most of these returns are involuntary, with over 150,000 Afghans deported by Iranian authorities between May and early June 2025 alone.
Although the deportation plan is framed as “voluntary”, Afghan nationals in Iran are being denied their rights and access to asylum procedures, legal representation and support, or appeal mechanisms; they are extensively being deported under coercion, harassment, and abuse by Iranian police and the public.
The latest crackdown follows years of escalating pressure on Afghan migrants including refugees and asylum seekers in Iran. Reports include mass arrests, home raids, tearing up passports with valid visas, withholding of prepaid mortgages, access to health services, and essential items such as bread and baby food for Afghanistan’s nationals. Anti-Afghan rhetoric and detention campaigns have intensified across major cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, Zahedan, and Kerman. In a particularly distressing case, the mutilated body of Kubra Rezaie, a young Afghan woman was discovered in Tehran on June 3, nearly 50 days after she went missing when she was going to work. In the current climate, Afghans are routinely accused of being “spies of Israel” and subjected to hate, discrimination, detention and deportation.
Humanitarian Consequences of Deportation
Afghan returnees face serious risks under Taliban rule, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and targeted persecution of former government officials, civil society members, and minority groups. Long-term challenges such as widespread unemployment, insecurity, poverty, and psychosocial trauma compound their vulnerability. Vulnerable populations such as women, girls, and ethnic minorities, especially the Shia Hazara, continue to face systemic discrimination and violence. The UNHCR has clearly stated that Afghanistan remains unsafe for return due to ”pervasive insecurity, economic collapse, widespread repression, and lack of access to essential services”.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 29 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance in 2025. Returnees often arrive without documentation, shelter, or support, forced into overcrowded and under-resourced camps in provinces like Herat and Nimruz. In this context, returnees face imminent risks of torture, mistreatment, and death.
Iran’s Historic Role and Current Obligations
Over the past decades, Iran has had a long-standing role hosting millions of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers. However, in the face of ongoing pressures and recent Israel-Iran conflicts, the country faces a range of challenges. These do not justify mass expulsions that violate international obligations. Collective punishment of vulnerable populations undermines both human dignity and Iran’s longstanding role as a regional refuge and runs contrary to basic principles of humanity and human rights principles.
FORUM-ASIA’s Urgent Call for Action
In light of the 6 July deadline and escalating threats to Afghan migrants in Iran, FORUM-ASIA urgently calls on:
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to:
- Immediately halt all forced deportations of Afghan refugees and migrants, including those without documentation.
- Revoke the July 6 deportation deadline, which places thousands at risk of irreversible harm.
- Ensure full access to fair asylum procedures, including individual risk assessments, legal representation, and appeal mechanisms.
- Allow the UNHCR and humanitarian partners unrestricted access to monitor detention facilities and border regions and provide assistance.
To the international community, particularly regional actors and donor governments, to:
- Urgently share responsibility by increasing humanitarian aid, resettlement options, and diplomatic efforts to protect Afghan refugees.
- Support host countries like Iran in managing refugee populations, without resorting to coercive or unlawful practices.
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The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is a network of 90 member organisations across 23 countries, mainly in Asia. Founded in 1991, FORUM-ASIA works to strengthen movements for human rights and sustainable development through research, advocacy, capacity development and solidarity actions in Asia and beyond. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and consultative relationship with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. The FORUM-ASIA Secretariat is based in Bangkok, with offices in Jakarta, Geneva and Kathmandu. www.forum-asia.org
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