In Iran, Afghans fear expulsions: “My life would be in danger there”
With plans to build a barrier along its border with Afghanistan, increased police repression, and the demonization of immigrants, Tehran is pulling out all the stops to send more than 2 million Afghan refugees back to their home country. Many fled the Taliban regime nearly four years ago and say they fear for their lives, reports the Financial Times.
For months, Mohammed, 41, has been living cloistered in the private garden where he works, on the outskirts of Tehran. An Afghan and undocumented immigrant, he fears being arrested and then deported by the Iranian police so much that he doesn't even dare go to the hairdresser.
“My wife does all the shopping. My two sons get anxious when they go to school,” laments the father of four, who declined to give his full name.
“I can't live in Afghanistan under the Taliban,” laments Mohammed, who doesn't have a bank account and is forced to live in a building in the garden where he works. “My life would be in danger. Not to mention that there's no work, no prospects, and I'd have to take care of my family.”
Mohammed is one of the 2 million Afghans who have crossed the border since the Taliban seized power in 2021, according to a tally by Iranian authorities. This number adds to the number of other migrants who have arrived in Iran in recent decades.
Tehran has announced its intention to expel them. As the country goes through a serious economic crisis and its leaders face increasingly hostile public opinion,
Courrier International
