The Taliban have tortured and threatened Afghans forcibly returned from neighboring Iran and Pakistan because of their identity or personal history, according to a UN report published today, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
Pakistan and Iran have expelled millions of Afghans who they say are living illegally on their territory. Afghan authorities have urged their compatriots to return, promising an amnesty for anyone who left the country after the Taliban took power in 2021.
Human rights activists and the United Nations have warned that some of the returnees face persecution for reasons including their gender and ties to the former Western-backed administration.
A report released today by the United Nations mission in Afghanistan alleges serious abuses, including torture, harassment, arbitrary arrests and intimidation by the Taliban. A former government official said he was detained and brutally tortured with rods and cables after returning home in 2023. He was then subjected to a mock execution. A non-binary man recounts how he was beaten.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that no one should be returned to a country where they risk persecution.
In response to the report, Taliban authorities denied mistreating Afghan returnees and rejected allegations of arrest, violence, intimidation or retaliation against people because of their identity or history.
Afghans returning from neighboring countries were provided with services related to documents, transportation, resettlement and other legal support, they said, adding that the Ministry of Interior was providing a “warm welcome” returnees.
They also called on the UN mission to prevent forced deportations, adding that the United Nations as a whole "should not hesitate" to meet the basic needs of refugees, such as food, medicine, shelter and education.