Tajikistan Responds To Criticism Over Afghan Refugee Expulsions

Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security said on Sunday that a number of Afghan migrants were deported for allegedly violating the country's laws, including involvement in drug trafficking, extremist groups and document forgery.

The statement was issued in response to questions raised by former Afghan presidential candidate Mohammad Hakim Tursun regarding the recent deportation of Afghan nationals from Tajikistan.

According to Khovar news agency, Tajik authorities said tens of thousands of Afghan citizens currently live and work legally in the country and are provided with conditions for residence and employment.

However, the security agency said some Afghan nationals had been detained and expelled over what it described as“serious crimes.”

The committee cited 670 drug trafficking cases, 32 cases linked to membership in terrorist groups, 15 cases involving sexual violence against children, 594 cases of forged documents used for asylum applications, and 45 cases related to illegal gambling centers allegedly involving Afghan citizens.

The agency said such activities posed a direct threat to national security. Earlier this month, Tajikistan had deported around 250 Afghan migrant families. Some migrants said they were given little time to collect their belongings before being removed from the country.

Tajikistan hosts thousands of Afghan migrants and refugees, many of whom fled Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power in 2021 and ongoing economic and security challenges.

In recent months, several regional countries, including Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, have intensified deportations and restrictions targeting Afghan migrants, raising concerns among rights groups about forced returns and humanitarian conditions.

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