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U.N. human-rights office urges immediate halt to forcible returns to Afghanistan
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Summary
The U.N. Human Rights Office said forcible returns to Afghanistan are creating a multilayered crisis and called on states to ensure returns are voluntary and consistent with international law.
The U.N. Human Rights Office on Friday called for an immediate halt to the forcible return of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, saying forced returns are creating a multilayered human-rights crisis.
Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, was cited in a U.N. statement read at a press briefing that warned returns must be voluntary, safe, dignified and consistent with international law. The office said returns to Afghanistan place people, especially women and girls, at heightened risk of persecution, arbitrary detention or torture.
Why it matters: The U.N. warned that the surge in returns this year is prompting human-rights concerns that require urgent international attention and that countries in the region must ensure protection safeguards for returnees.
The U.N. spokesperson said the Human Rights Office’s public statement urged immediate attention and noted particular vulnerability among women and girls given systematic restrictions on their rights in Afghanistan. The briefing did not announce new international measures or sanctions; it urged regional governments and the international community to adhere to international legal standards on returns.