Rights watchdog accuses Iran, Turkey of illegal Afghan migrant pushbacks

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Iran and Turkey are preventing entry of Afghan refugees or forcibly returning them to Afghanistan, in violation of international law,
Amnesty International said in a report Wednesday.Hundreds of thousands fled Afghanistan in August 2021 after the U.S
left the country in a chaotic military pullout.Many are poor and lack passports or other valid travel documents, making them especially
vulnerable to border police who use threats or outright violence to keep them out or push them back, Amnesty said.&Iranian and Turkish
security forces have unlawfully used firearms against Afghans trying to cross the border irregularly as a deterrent and a pushback method,
sometimes resulting in deaths or injuries,& the report said.Amnesty said it based its findings on interviews with dozens of Afghans,
including 74 who were forcibly returned, sometimes with children or other family members.The NGO cited numerous cases of &unlawful killings,
pushbacks by shooting and other unlawful returns, arbitrary detention, and torture and other ill-treatment of Afghans at the hands of both
Iranian and Turkish officials.&In particular, it documented killings of 11 Afghans by Iranian security forces and three Afghans by Turkish
forces over the past year.Under international law, countries are obliged to ensure a right to seek asylum and the principle of
non-refoulement, or the forced return of refugees to countries where they would face persecution or other human rights violations.The post
Rights watchdog accuses Iran, Turkey of illegal Afghan migrant pushbacks first appeared on Ariana News.