The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for an end to the forced return of Afghans to their homeland.

22 May 2026 Refugees and migrants

“Afghan women, children, and men continue to be pushed out of the countries where they sought safety, forced against their will to return to Afghanistan, as a result of which they face serious danger,” Tyoerk stated.

Risks of serious violations

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly 270,000 citizens, mainly from Iran and Pakistan, have been deported from Afghanistan since the beginning of the year. Smaller groups were also returned from Turkey and Tajikistan. Last year, more than 1.2 million Afghans were deported from Iran, and 150,000 from Pakistan.

The report of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the United Nations Human Rights Office published last year states that many forcibly returned Afghans encountered serious violations, including arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, and cruel treatment by de facto authorities.

Among those who primarily face the threat of repression and human rights violations are women and girls, persons associated with the former government and security forces, journalists, representatives of civil society and the LGBTQ+ community.

“Forced return to Afghanistan of people who are threatenedserious violations of human rights, contradicts the fundamental principle of international law – the principle of non-refoulement. I urge states to comply with their international obligations and protect Afghans,

Threats of deportation from Europe

Against the backdrop of calls by a number of European Union countries for a more coordinated approach to the return of Afghan citizens, the High Commissioner also expressed concern regarding reports that some European countries, despite the extremely difficult human rights situation in Afghanistan, are resuming or considering the possibility of deportations.

Concern is caused by the new rules proposed in the EU regarding the return of migrants, which are currently under consideration. According to Türq, they could weaken guarantees of human rights protection and expose people to danger.

“I strongly warn against any forced returns to Afghanistan without an individual risk assessment, which is required by international standards in the field of human rights and refugee protection and must be conducted accordingly,” the High Commissioner stated.

In addition to the extremely difficult situation with human rights, Afghanistan facesserious humanitarian crisis and security problems in the border areas, especially from October 2025. In the past quarter, the highest number of civilian casualties since the Taliban came to power was recorded – as a result of the escalation of hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan.