THE Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People’s Rights (Codir) utterly condemns the violent actions of the Iranian authorities as it undertakes a huge nationwide expulsion of Afghan migrants from the country.

According to Iranian government officials themselves, over 380,000 Afghan migrants have been expelled from Iran over a very short period through the country’s land borders with Afghanistan in eastern Iran.  

These figures have been confirmed by the deputy governor of Razavi Khorasan Province.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that, on average, more than 30,000 Afghans were expelled daily from Iran during Israel’s war of aggression against the country last month. Prior to the conflict, this number was approximately 2,000 people per day.

These expulsions have raised serious concerns among Iran’s progressive forces, human rights activists and trade unions, especially as they take place amid a worsening economic crisis and resurgence of social unrest inside the country. The crisis has prompted expressions of solidarity from Iranian workers, trade unions and progressive forces with their beleaguered Afghan migrant counterparts.

Afghan migrants have lived and worked in Iran for decades, with a significant number of Afghans — many undocumented — having been born, raised, and knowing only life there. They often work in low-income, informal jobs, particularly in the construction, agriculture and service sectors — often in hazardous conditions. Despite their longstanding presence and featuring in various parts of Iran’s economy, Afghan migrants remain one of the most vulnerable groups in Iranian society, receiving little if any support from the Iranian authorities.

Reports of forced expulsions, arbitrary detentions, the unfair withholding of legal residency status and now the increasing racist treatment of Afghans in Iran’s official media have drawn strong condemnation from Iranian civil society organisations.

Last month’s criminal aggression against Iran by the apartheid Israeli regime, greenlighted and fully supported by US imperialism, followed by a fragile and precarious ceasefire, has been followed with an intense campaign by the Islamic Republic regime to brutally suppress political and trade union dissidents in the country and now against Afghan migrants.  

These expulsions are being carried out, in part, under the official pretext of resolutely addressing threats to national security — including those that led to serious security failings on the part of the regime, of which the Iranian people were made painfully aware, during the US-Israeli bombardment of the country. (Some of the attacks were clearly aided by internal saboteurs, several of whom have been revealed as Afghan nationals.)

However, not only are the current expulsions — essentially a form of cruel mass punishment — unjustifiable, they are also being used by the Islamic Republic in a vain attempt to deflect from its failures, the spiralling social and economic crises over which it has presided in Iran, as well as its completely bankrupt foreign policy and the devastation this has meant for the people of Iran.

Iranian civil society organisations have roundly and vehemently condemned the recent wave of violent expulsions and discriminatory treatment of Afghan migrants. Their statements highlight deep concerns about the unfolding humanitarian crisis and the increasingly hostile and dangerous environment faced by Afghans living and working in Iran.

The Iranian Writers Association (Kanun-e Nevisandegan-e Iran) has issued a strong condemnation, stating that “the process of anti-Afghan sentiment, especially after the ceasefire, has taken on such horrifying dimensions that it amounts to heinous fascist and nationalist behaviour.”

The statement further criticises the blatant propagation of anti-Afghan sentiment: “During the anti-Afghan propaganda, migrants who have lived in Iran for many years are suddenly and without any specific documentation or reason accused of spying for Israel — and are being collectively and very insultingly expelled from Iran with extremely racist behaviour.”

The association’s statement concludes by affirming its commitment to human rights: “Based on the general spirit of its charter and statutes, the Iranian Writers Association supports the right to security, shelter, and a humane life for all without any conditions, and condemns racist and chauvinistic behaviours, whether from the government or from extremist right-wing groups. It calls for an end to this cycle of oppression and inhumanity, which truly discredits progressive human dignity.”

The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Syndica-e Sherkat-e Vahed) has also expressed its solidarity and condemnation. Their statement reads: “The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company unequivocally condemns these racist policies that are based on sensationalism, exaggeration, scenario-building, accusation, and incitement to hatred.”

And the Co-ordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association (CCITTA) has specifically condemned the inhumane treatment of Afghan children. Their announcement states: “The CCITTA observes with deep concern the repeated instances of violence, humiliation, exclusion, and discrimination against Afghan children residing in Iran and strongly condemns such inhumane treatment.”

The council emphasises the fundamental right to education and dignity for all children, regardless of nationality: “As teachers of this land, we believe that no border, nationality, or identity paper should prevent children’s access to education, security, and human dignity. We call on all civil, cultural, educational, and human rights organisations not to remain silent in the face of this dangerous and inhumane trend. Defending children’s rights is defending the future of humanity.”

These organisations collectively call for solidarity with Afghan migrant workers, labourers, and children to prevent the implementation of the regime’s racist and anti-democratic policies.

Jamshid Ahmadi is assistant general secretary of the Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People’s Rights codir.net.