Head of Jabbor Rasulov District reported on the storage of Afghan refugees’ property

The head of the Jabbor Rasulov district, Olimbek Yuldoshozoda, stated that the personal belongings and property of Afghan refugees, who were evacuated from the district and deported from the country in May of this year and were unable to take their belongings with them, will be stored in warehouses.

On July 27, during a press conference, the district head reported that a special commission had been created to account for this property and all remaining items had been documented. According to him, owners can sign the necessary documents and retrieve their belongings upon their return.

This statement was made three months after dozens of Afghan refugees were evacuated from the Jabbor Rasulov district. At that time, some of them stated in video appeals on social media that they were unable to take all their belongings during the deportation, including household items, clothing, and other property. Some Afghan refugees also claimed that despite having documents confirming their refugee status and having lived in Tajikistan for many years, they were still deported to Afghanistan.

The district head explained the reason for the deportation of Afghans as “illegal residence, violation of residence rules and migration legislation, non-compliance with the laws of Tajikistan, as well as committing particularly serious crimes.” According to him, in May of this year, there were 42 Afghan families residing in the district, totaling 168 individuals. Currently, he stated, there are no citizens of Afghanistan living in the district.

Following this incident, the State Committee for National Security stated in its announcement that the reason for the deportation of Afghan citizens was gross violations of Tajikistan’s legislation. On the other hand, many international organizations have called on the Tajik authorities to adhere to international norms regarding the protection of refugee rights when considering the cases of Afghan refugees.