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Afghanistan is investigating a case of drowned immigrants. They are said to have been tortured and thrown into a border river by Iranian border guards, reports the BBC.
The migrants were caught trying to cross the border and enter Iran illegally from the western Afghan province of Herat, according to local media. They were beaten and forced to jump into the river by Iranian border guards, according to reports. Some drowned.
Iran denies the allegations. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said the incident took place on Afghan territory, not on Iranian territory, and that border guards have denied the allegations.
The number of those involved has not been confirmed, but authorities say dozens of migrants have crossed the border and at least 7 people have died and are missing. A group was dispatched to remove the bodies from the river and collect them.
The Afghan Human Rights Commission has announced, citing information from local authorities that “Iranian security forces have arrested Afghan immigrants looking for work and therefore wanting to enter Iran.” They were forced to cross the great Herrirud River, resulting in drowning and some survivors.
Shir Aga, a migrant eyewitness to the incident, tells Reuters that Iranian border guards “warned us that if we don’t jump into the water, they will shoot us dead.” Another Afghan migrant, Shah Wali, claims that the Iranian guards “after that, would have forced us to do the black work.” “They took us in a minibus to the river and when we arrived they threw us into the water,” he adds.
Around 3 million Afghans live in Iran, including refugees and people living there. Hundreds of Afghans cross the border into Iran every day to go to work. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, there was a massive deportation of Afghans from Iran back to Afghanistan. Almost 100,000 cases of infection have been reported so far in Iran. Authorities suspect that many are returning the virus to the country, crossing the border.
Iran is trying to ease the restrictive measures, but many Afghan immigrants continue to enter the country in search of work.
Officials in Iran have publicly expressed concern that the incident could spark diplomatic tensions between the two countries at a time when relations are already strained by the coronary pandemic.
In a tweet to the Iranian authorities, the Herat governor wrote: “Our people are not just names you throw into the river. One day we will settle our accounts.”
