Call for Transparent Probe into Reports of Iranian Security Forces Killing Afghan Migrants
Amnesty International and UN special rapporteurs are urging for a transparent investigation into reports of Iranian security forces killing and wounding Afghan migrants trying to cross into Iran from Pakistan. The incident, which occurred in the Saravan district of Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, has sparked outrage as videos on social media show bloodied corpses of young men.
Iran, hosting one of the world’s largest refugee populations, has seen an increase in Afghan immigrants following the Taliban takeover in August 2021. The Baluch rights group Haalvsh claims up to 260 people were killed, although this figure has yet to be verified.
UN special rapporteurs on Afghanistan and Iran, Richard Bennett and Mai Sato, are calling for clear investigations to shed light on the situation. Iran has taken measures such as building a wall along its border with Afghanistan to control migrant flows, but reports of mistreatment and violence towards Afghans persist.