Over the past month, almost 1,000 Afghan refugees have been forcibly deported from Tajikistan. This was announced in a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to the IOM, 1,647 people crossed from Tajikistan to Afghanistan through the Panji Poen–Sherkhon Bandar border crossing from July 17 to August 10. Of these, 976 people were forcibly deported, and 671 returned voluntarily to visit their relatives.
The organization also noted that over the past 25 days (less than a month), 687 Afghan citizens have come to Tajikistan in search of work, to visit relatives or travel to other countries.
Tajik Interior Minister Ramazona Rahimzoda confirmed the expulsion of Afghan refugees at a press conference on August 7, saying that the deportees had violated the law.
"Although they lived in Tajikistan legally, when you break the law, it becomes illegal. Isn't that right? Since the issue of deportation goes beyond the powers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, this does not concern us. But if they violated the law, even if they were registered, they will be deported," he said.
Earlier, on July 19, the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan also confirmed the facts of the deportation of Afghan citizens, noting that many of them violated the rules of stay of foreign citizens. The reasons for the expulsion were also "participation in drug trafficking, propaganda of extremist ideology, providing forged documents for obtaining refugee status, violation of migration rules, having citizenship of a third country, using the territory of Tajikistan as a transit zone, and others."
In early July, the Khaama Press agency reported that Tajik security forces had given Afghan refugees 15 days to leave the country, which caused "serious concerns" among thousands of Afghan migrants, including those who had legal documents to stay.
The source added that since the beginning of July, the Tajik authorities have tightened the detention of Afghan migrants in Vakhdat and Rudaki district. Many people were detained without prior notice and without the right to a legal complaint, after which they were deported to Afghanistan.
In December 2024, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees called on Tajikistan to refrain from deporting Afghans to their homeland, where their lives are in danger, and to send them to third countries.
According to unofficial data, there are more than 10,000 Afghan citizens in Tajikistan, most of whom live in Dushanbe, Vakhdat and Rudaki district. It is unknown how many refugees remained in the country after the recent mass deportations.
