Iran Offers Afghan Deportees Assistance to Recover Unpaid Housing Deposits

Kokcha News Agency: Zahra Behrouz Azar, Iran’s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, has stated that Afghan citizens deported from Iran can seek assistance to recover unpaid housing deposits by visiting Iranian diplomatic missions in Kabul or Herat. She acknowledged that some refugees have faced difficulties in retrieving their deposits from landlords but emphasized that the number of such cases is small and the Iranian government is prepared to address them.

Azar also noted that Afghan refugees still in Iran who have not received their housing deposits can visit relevant provincial offices and submit legal documents to resolve the issue.

Mass Deportations and Returnees’ Plight
The expulsion of Afghan refugees from Iran has accelerated in recent weeks, with reports indicating that over half a million Afghans have returned to Afghanistan in the past three weeks. While Iranian officials describe the process as a “dignified return,” many returnees have shared harrowing experiences of being forced to leave without time to collect their belongings or settle accounts.

One returnee, who lived in Iran for 24 years, recounted, “The police would come and ask if we had a card. Some would tear up our passports, some would ask for money. We would give the money we earned, while we were hungry ourselves. This was the situation in Iran. Now we are back. Mashallah, there is peace here and help is available.”

Another returnee described being detained with their children for several days before being released, leaving behind household items, including air conditioners, refrigerators, and carpets, with no opportunity to sell them.

Afghan Government’s Response
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has pledged to address the challenges faced by deported refugees. Abdul Salam Hanafi, the administrative deputy of the Prime Minister, emphasized the importance of rebuilding Afghanistan, stating, “If we stay in someone else’s homeland for a year or ten years, they will eventually tell us to leave. But this is our homeland. We own this country. We will try to rebuild it together.”

UN Warns of Humanitarian Crisis
The United Nations has warned that the number of returnees could reach approximately three million by the end of the year, further straining Afghanistan’s already dire humanitarian crisis. The organization has called for increased international support to address the needs of returnees and mitigate the impact on the country’s fragile economy and infrastructure.