UNWELCOME GUESTS Iran’S Violation of Afghan Refugee and Migrant Rights WATCH

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UNWELCOME GUESTS Iran’S Violation of Afghan Refugee and Migrant Rights WATCH HUMAN RIGHTS UNWELCOME GUESTS Iran’s Violation of Afghan Refugee and Migrant Rights WATCH Unwelcome Guests Iran’s Violation of Afghan Refugee and Migrant Rights Copyright © 2013 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-62313-0770 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org NOVEMBER 2013 978-1-62313-0770 Unwelcome Guests Iran’s Violation of Afghan Refugee and Migrant Rights Map .................................................................................................................................... i Glossary/Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... ii Summary ........................................................................................................................... 1 Key Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 13 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 15 I. Background: Afghans in Iran .......................................................................................... 18 The Political Context ............................................................................................................... 21 Conditions in Afghanistan Today ............................................................................................. 25 II. Barriers to Obtaining and Retaining Refugee Status in Iran .......................................... 30 Onerous Amayesh Registration Requirements for Refugees and Asylum Seekers .......................... 32 Forfeiture of Refugee Status .................................................................................................... 38 Voluntary Return .................................................................................................................... 40 Barriers to New Refugee Registration ...................................................................................... 43 The CRP Process: Path to Becoming “Legal”? .......................................................................... 46 The “Solutions Strategy” ........................................................................................................ 51 III. Abuses Against Afghans Living in Iran ......................................................................... 54 “No Go Areas” ........................................................................................................................ 54 Case of Hakim S. and Family .................................................................................................. 56 Case of Najib T. and Family .................................................................................................... 57 Denial of Education and Failure to Prevent Child Labor ............................................................ 61 Curtailed Access to Education ............................................................................................... 62 University Trade-offs ............................................................................................................. 66 Denial of Citizenship and Marriage Rights .............................................................................. 68 Limitations on the Right to Work ............................................................................................. 70 Vigilante “Justice” .................................................................................................................. 71 IV. Abuses During the Deportation Process ....................................................................... 76 Physical Abuse, Theft, and Destruction of Property .................................................................. 76 Deportation without Due Process ............................................................................................ 81 Case of Nabil M. and Family ................................................................................................... 84 Case of Hashim M. and Family ............................................................................................... 85 Poor Conditions in Detention Facilities .................................................................................... 85 Abuse and Neglect of Unaccompanied Migrant Children ......................................................... 89 Case of Zalmai K. .................................................................................................................. 90 Case of Salim T. ..................................................................................................................... 93 Arrest, Detention, and Abuse in Police Stations and Transit Detention Facilities .................... 95 Family Separation ................................................................................................................. 100 Case of Hasina and Zohrah and Family ................................................................................ 101 Case of Arif and Family ........................................................................................................ 102 Case of Nasrat B. ................................................................................................................. 103 Case of Nader R. .................................................................................................................. 103 Case of Mariam G. ............................................................................................................... 104 Deportation-Related Fees and Forced Labor .......................................................................... 106 V. Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 109 To the Islamic Republic of Iran .............................................................................................. 109 Access to and Protection of Refugees and Asylum Seekers .................................................. 109 Access to Education, Employment, and Other Services for Refugees and Asylum Seekers ... 110 Fair Options for Migrant Workers and their Families .............................................................. 111 Legal and Humane Deportation Procedures .......................................................................... 111 To the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan .................................................................................. 112 To UNHCR ..............................................................................................................................113 To the United Nations and International Partners of Afghanistan and Iran .............................. 114 VI. Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... 115 Appendix I – HRW Letter to Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Frazli and Director-General Aziz Kazemi .......................................................................................... 116 Appendix II – HRW Letter to President Hamid Karzai ........................................................ 121 Map I Glossary/Abbreviations Amayesh Iran’s refugee registration system BAFIA Iranian government Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants’ Affairs CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child CRP Comprehensive Regularization Plan ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights IDP Internally Displaced Person IOM International Organization of Migration Islam Qala Border crossing between Iran and Afghanistan through which Iran deports most Afghan nationals Smuggling The procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a country of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident Solar calendar Calendar used in Iran and Afghanistan Trafficking An act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving a person through use of force, coercion, or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees II Summary We decided to leave when the children were expelled from school [for being foreigners]. But it was too late. We weren’t documented anymore so we couldn’t go anywhere. We had green cards [residency cards], UN documents. But the Iranian government collected these documents and issued new documents extended every six to nine months. The last document
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