Geneva (TDI): The United Nations has called for an immediate end to the deportation of Afghan nationals, warning that forcibly sending individuals back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan risks worsening an already dire human rights and humanitarian crisis.
The statement comes after Germany deported 81 Afghans, all reportedly convicted of crimes, marking its second such operation since resuming expulsions to Afghanistan.
“This surge in forced returns is contributing to a complex and deepening human rights emergency,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, during a press briefing in Geneva.
She urged governments to respect the principle of non-refoulement. a cornerstone of international law that prohibits returning individuals to countries where they may face persecution, arbitrary detention, or torture. “This applies even in cases involving people with criminal convictions,” she stressed.
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Germany, like many Western nations, had halted deportations to Afghanistan and closed its diplomatic missions after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. However, the country quietly resumed removals last year, when then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s administration deported 28 convicted Afghan nationals.
Berlin has defended the latest deportation, carried out on Friday, as necessary for public safety. Still, the UN insists that such moves place already vulnerable individuals at grave risk.
The warning also comes as Afghanistan absorbs an overwhelming influx of returnees from neighboring countries. Since January, more than 1.9 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan, both of which have ramped up deportations.
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Shamdasani noted that Iran alone has deported roughly 500,000 people in the last month, and the UN anticipates up to 3 million returns by year’s end, placing severe strain on a country already in crisis.
“Afghanistan today is grappling with profound humanitarian and human rights challenges,” she said. “Those returning, whether voluntarily or under duress, arrive in a country ill-equipped to meet even the most basic needs.”
The UN has urged governments to suspend all forced returns to Afghanistan and to instead work collectively to ensure the protection and dignity of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers worldwide.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
