Saturday, May 9, 2020 Kabul (BNA) Following drowning 50 Afghan workers by Iranian border guards in border with Iran, national and international figures have reacted and considered this step of the Iranian border forces as inhuman, asking for punishment for those involved in the incident. A number of civil society activists by condemning the murder and torturing of Afghan workers in border with Iran asked Afghanistan government to completely and seriously investigate the incident. According to Afghan civil society organizations, civil society organizations will continue their widespread protests in this regard unless the issue is investigated by the Iranian government. “Iranian border forces have always tortured and killed Afghan citizens in the past; therefore, Afghanistan government should seriously share the issue with Iranian officials,” said Mobin Pajhwok, an Afghan civil society activist. Meanwhile, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in a statement by expressing concern over drowning the Afghan workers by Iranian border forces considered this act of the forces as inhuman and shocking. “The act by Iranian border forces is a clear violation of human rights values and principles, migration rights and commitments and conventions of governments,” the statement said, asking Afghanistan government and UNHCR to form a joint committee with joint membership of representatives of Afghanistan and Iranian governments to completely review and investigate the incident. US embassy to Kabul in a tweet has also reacted to the incident and expressed its concern over the incident. “The US administration is supporting the decision of Afghanistan ministry of foreign affairs in connection with reviewing and investigating the killing of Afghan workers in border with Iran and asking the Iranian government for cooperation in this regard,” US embassy tweeted. Meanwhile, US State Department has also considered report regarding drowning Afghan citizens by Iranian border forces as brutal. In a tweet on Tuesday, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice Wells slammed the incident as ‘horrific’. She called for a thorough investigation into reports that the Afghans were arrested and tortured by the Iranian border forces. “Iran’s cruel treatment and abuse of Afghan migrants alleged in these reports is horrifying. We support calls for a thorough investigation,” Wells wrote. Meanwhile, a number of Afghan experts consider the issue of Afghan migration in foreign countries as one of the main challenges of Afghan people, stressing on supporting Afghan refugees by the world countries in particular the neighboring countries hosting Afghan citizens. “Migration is common in all the world and considered as one of requirements of human life, but migration of Afghans to foreign countries has various causes,” said Saifuddin Saihoon, a Kabul university lecturer. He added that migration of Afghans to foreign countries usually occur due to increasing insecurities and unemployment in Afghanistan, stressing that it was the responsibility of governments to provide opportunity inside their countries so that the migration rate reduces. It is worth mentioning that nearly 20 Afghan citizens, trying to enter Iran for work, were allegedly tortured and forced into the Harirud Rive by the Iranian border forces last week. However, Tehran has vehemently denied the claims.
