Manzoor Pashteen condemns violence against Afghan refugees in Iran

The leader of Pakistan’s Pashtun Protection Movement on Thursday strongly condemned the “arrest and oppression” of Afghan refugees in Iran in a message delivered in Persian, calling it “illegal and against human principles.”

This message was posted on Pashteen’s X account in response to the violence by a police officer against a deaf Afghan teenager in Iran.

This week, an Iranian law enforcement officer in Damavand of Tehran restrained a 15-year-old Afghan teenager while another officer placed his knee on the boy’s neck.

Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of the Pashtun Protection Movement, called the actions of the Iranian police “illegal, a violation of rights, and against human principles” and urged Iran to immediately address the situation by protecting the rights of Afghan refugees.

The actions of the Iranian police have sparked widespread reactions both within and outside of Iran. Many Afghan and Iranian users have compared this incident involving the Afghan teenager to the violence by U.S. police against a Black man named George Floyd, which led to his death.

Additionally, the acting representative of Afghanistan at the United Nations described the behavior of the Iranian police towards Afghan refugees as contrary to globally accepted principles and immigration laws.

Iranian officials have not officially responded to this incident. The Iranian government has ignored both the violence committed by the two police officers and the wave of Afghanophobia that has become prevalent in Iran.

The forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan exacerbates an already dire situation.

These refugees, many of whom fled due to conflict, economic collapse, and persecution, face an uncertain and dangerous future upon their return.

Afghanistan’s fragile state, struggling with widespread poverty, food insecurity, and a lack of basic services, is ill-equipped to reintegrate large numbers of returnees.

The deportations not only threaten the safety and well-being of these individuals but also add strain to an already overwhelmed humanitarian response in Afghanistan.

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