Why are the authorities not commenting on the expulsion of Afghan refugees?

In Dushanbe, the Head of the Afghan Refugee Committee rejected information about the mass deportation of Afghan refugees. However, the authorities of Tajikistan remain silent.

According to “Asia-Plus,” the head of the Afghan Refugee Committee in Dushanbe, Musavvir Bahoduri, called the information about the forced deportation of Afghan citizens from Tajikistan unfounded, stating that “no refugees have approached the Committee” regarding this issue.

Earlier, there was information that the authorities of Tajikistan had given Afghan asylum seekers 15 days to leave Tajikistan.

However, social media users noted that the response from this committee resembles the responses of law enforcement and judicial bodies in Tajikistan. In particular, the Human Rights Commissioner, the General Prosecutor’s Office, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, in cases of complaints about violations of the law by officials, infringement of prisoners’ rights, beatings, and torture of prisoners, always assert: “No one from the victims has approached them.”

Additionally, the Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe told “Asia-Plus” that they do not have information about “measures taken by the Tajik authorities” regarding refugees.

According to Afghan media, Iran has deported more than 500,000 Afghan refugees in the past month. Against this backdrop, there was also information that the authorities of Tajikistan had given Afghan refugees 15 days to leave Tajikistan, otherwise they would be deported. This applied to all Afghan refugees, even those with all documents in order.

No official comments from the authorities of Tajikistan have been received so far. The information has not been confirmed, but it has not been denied either.

Last year, Afghan media published videos claiming that Tajik authorities forcibly detained Afghan refugees right at their homes, not allowing them even to change clothes, and immediately took them to the border in their home clothes, forcibly expelling them from the country.

At that time, the authorities of Tajikistan also neither officially denied nor confirmed these reports.

After the publication of this news, international human rights organizations, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, called on Tajikistan not to deport Afghan refugees back to their country, where their lives are at risk.