© UNICEF/O. Fasel Afghan families living in Iran are returning to Afghanistan. UN human rights chief calls for an end to the forced return of Afghans to their homeland Refugees and migrants
The ongoing practice of forced returns of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers from host countries to Afghanistan violates international standards on human rights and refugee protection. The UN High Commissioner for Rights warned on Friday human Volker Türk.
“Afghan women, children and men continue to be displaced from the countries where they sought safety, forced back into Afghanistan against their will, leaving them at grave risk,” Turk said.
Risks of Serious Violations
According to the Office of the Supreme UN Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), since the beginning of the year, almost 270 thousand citizens have been deported to Afghanistan, mainly from Iran and Pakistan. Smaller groups were also returned from Turkey and Tajikistan. Last year, more than 1.2 million Afghans were deported from Iran, and 150 thousand from Pakistan.
A report released last year by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office found that many forcibly returned Afghans faced serious abuses, including arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment at the hands of de facto authorities. with the former government and security forces, journalists, representatives of civil society and the LGBTIQ+ community.
“The forced return to Afghanistan of people at risk of serious human rights violations is contrary to a fundamental principle of international law – the principle of non-refoulement. I call on states to respect their international obligations and protect Afghans,” Turk stressed. Despite the extremely dire human rights situation in Afghanistan, they are resuming or considering the possibility of deportations.
New rules proposed in the EU regarding the return of migrants, which are currently under consideration, are also causing concern. According to Turk, they could weaken human rights guarantees and put people at risk.
“I strongly caution against any forced returns to Afghanistan without an individual risk assessment, which is required by and must be carried out in accordance with international human rights and refugee protection standards,” the Supreme Commander said Commissioner.
In addition to the dire human rights situation, Afghanistan faces a serious humanitarian crisis and security challenges in the border areas, especially since October 2025. The past quarter saw the highest number of civilian casualties since the Taliban took power as fighting escalated between Pakistan and Afghanistan.