On 1 May, reports emerged detailing Iranian border guards beating, torturing, and forcing a group of Afghan migrants into the Harirud River in an attempt to prevent them from entering the country from Afghanistan’s Herat Province. According to one migrant who witnessed the incident, Iranian guards “warned us that if we do not throw ourselves […]
Iran: Covid-19 and Detention
According to UNHCR, “There are close to one million refugees in Iran, mostly from Afghanistan and also Iraq. From the onset of the pandemic, the Government of Iran has made every effort to ensure that all refugees have access to the same health services as Iranians, so that they are fully included in the national […]
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Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
39. (d) Refrain from engaging in collective expulsion, deportation and pushback, provide access to its territory for persons in need of international protection, respect the principle of non-refoulement and conduct investigations into cases of collective expulsion, pushback and excessive use of force and violence by law enforcement officials against migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers.
2024
2024
2024
Human Rights Committee
44. The State party should:
(a) Facilitate access to fair asylum procedures for all persons in need of
international protection and strictly uphold the principle of non-refoulement, including
for those from Afghanistan;
(b) Ensure that the detention of migrants and asylum-seekers is reasonable,
necessary and proportionate, in accordance with the Committee’s general comment
No. 35 (2014); that alternatives to detention are used; and that children are not detained
for immigration-related purposes.
2023
2023
2023
Committee on the Rights of the Child
§ 82. "The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a) Systematically collect disaggregated data on its refugee and asylum-seeking children in order to be able to develop programmes and policies that respond to their needs;
(b) Ensure prompt registration of all its asylum-seeking and refugee children in order to provide them with access to all basic services, including health care and education for free;
(c) Ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee children are given guardianship, free legal assistance with immigration proceedings, and access to adequate shelter, food, health care and education;
(d) Ensure that immigration proceedings involving children are decided on the basis of the best interests of the child, and prevent separation of families during the deportation process."
2016
2016
2016
Committee on the Rights of the Child
§64.The Committee continues to be concerned about the large number of children living and/or working in the streets, particularly in urban centres such as Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Shiraz. It regrets that the State party could not present studies on the extent and nature of the problem and is concerned that the centres known as “Khaneh Sabz”, “Khaneh Shoush” and “Khaneh Reyhane” homes, which were established to assist these children, albeit in a limited capacity, have been closed down. It is equally concerned at reports of the round-up and arrest of Afghan children in the streets despite the fact that they were registered with the authorities, and that as a “condition” for their release the authorities request that their parents register for repatriation. The Committee welcomes the policy of the State party to reunite children with their families, whenever possible, and notes the State party’s assurances that these children are assembled in centres for further assistance and not arrested with police methods.
§65. The Committee recommends that the State party:
...
(d) Ensure that all Afghan children rounded up on the streets are released and are not used to push their parents to repatriate;
2005
2005
2005
> UN Special Procedures
> UN Universal Periodic Review
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COVID-19
Country Updates
On 1 May, reports emerged detailing Iranian border guards beating, torturing, and forcing a group of Afghan migrants into the Harirud River in an attempt to prevent them from entering the country from Afghanistan’s Herat Province. According to one migrant who witnessed the incident, Iranian guards “warned us that if we do not throw ourselves into the water, we will be shot.”
As of 3 May, at least seven Afghans are believed to have drowned, and more than 30 remain missing. Doctors at Herat District Hospital stated that they had received several bodies - four of whom reportedly displayed clear signs of death by drowning. In a statement released the following day, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry announced that an inquiry had been launched, however the Iranian consulate in Herat denied all allegations.
It is estimated that between 1.5 and 3 million Afghans live and work in Iran - many as wage labourers on construction projects. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, which hit Iran particularly acutely, large numbers returned to Afghanistan. With Iran starting to ease its restrictions, some have sought to return in search of employment.
According to UNHCR, “There are close to one million refugees in Iran, mostly from Afghanistan and also Iraq. From the onset of the pandemic, the Government of Iran has made every effort to ensure that all refugees have access to the same health services as Iranians, so that they are fully included in the national COVID-19 response.” However, as of this update, the Global Detention Project has found no reports indicating that the government is taking specific measures to assist people who may be in prisons or detention centres for immigration or asylum-related reasons.
In mid-March, the government ordered the release of 85,000 prisoners detained in criminal prisons in efforts to combat the spread of Coronavirus. On 20 March, prisoners attempted to escape the Parsilon Prison of Khorramabad in western Iran in a coordinated plan with people involved inside and outside the facility. Reports indicate that individuals attacked the prison from the outside and killed two or three prison guards. Guards and security forces subsequently opened fire on about 250 fleeing prisoners, which left many of them dead. Following the riot, martial law was declared in Khorramabad and raids are being conducted to apprehend the fleeing prisoners.
