The United Nations Refugee Agency has expressed serious concern over the continued detention and deportation of Afghan refugees from Tajikistan. The agency again warned that forcibly returning people fleeing persecution back to their country against their will is illegal and puts their lives in danger, the agency said.
In the latest incident, five Afghans, including a family of three children and their mother, were returned to Afghanistan on Tuesday 23 August 2022 through the Panji Poyon border checkpoint in southern Tajikistan. Attempts by the UNHCR to prevent the deportation were ignored by the Tajik authorities.
“Tajikistan must stop detaining and deporting refugees, actions that clearly endanger people’s lives,” said Elizabeth Tan, director of UNHCR’s Department of International Protection. “The forced return of refugees is contrary to the law and the principle of non-refoulement, which is the cornerstone of international refugee law.”
Since 2021, UNHCR has recorded numerous cases of refugees being detained, forcibly returned and denied entry to the territory of persons in need of international protection.
“We continue to call on the Tajik authorities to grant access to the territory to those fleeing conflict and persecution in Afghanistan and to stop deportations,” UNHCR spokeswoman Elisabeth Tan added.
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August 26, 2022