War, arrest, and abandonment: an Afghan journalist’s fears in Iran
I am an exiled Afghan journalist who lives in Iran. Over the past three years, I have experienced humiliation and discrimination in this country, which have left me with depression and despair.
During the Iran-Israel war, I and other Afghans became even more vulnerable. We had no way to seek shelter from the bombs or missiles, nor could we leave Tehran for other cities. We had to stay in our homes. With the day and night bombings, it often felt like the explosions were happening just down the street, threatening to destroy our homes, one by one.
We never heard air raid sirens, only the deafening sound of explosions, which revived the painful memories of explosions in Afghanistan. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel is now in effect and life is gradually returning to normal. Yet the fear of resumed bombing lingers, while the Iranian government’s treatment of Afghan refugees has become even harsher. It seems as though our children are not meant to know peace.
During the days of war, my son and daughter didn’t dare go near the small window of our home. They sat quietly in a corner, far from the window. Our home felt like a prison to me, my wife, and our two children.
Discrimination against Afghan refugees pours from every wall in Iran as hatred toward Afghans has worsened in recent days. Most Iranians now openly call for the unconditional expulsion of Afghans. According to domestic media, several “Afghan nationals” have been arrested by the police on charges of collaborating with Israel in making bombs, producing drones, or transporting equipment using pickup trucks. As a result, the police have intensified their efforts to forcibly deport Afghans from the country. They are omnipresent. Though Tehran feels nearly deserted, undocumented Afghan refugees are still being rounded up and detained.
I nearly got caught when I went to work on the third day of the Israel-Iran war. The market where I work mostly consists of shops selling men’s and women’s clothing. Alongside conversations about the war, some discussed the alleged involvement of Afghans in transporting Israeli drones. They even claimed that the police had discovered a workshop where Afghans were manufacturing drones in the city of Rey. The hair on my body stood on end — I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I didn’t leave the shop, nor did I speak to anyone, not even those I vaguely recognized. I kept wondering: Could such a thing even be possible?
Then, I watched with fear as I saw the police force escorting a young Afghan man in handcuffs toward the police station. I was deeply shaken. My employer, noticing the fear on my face, said, “It’s nothing. He must have been caught stealing.” But the reality turned out to be something else entirely. People had handed him over to the police simply because he had spoken about the Israel-Iran war.
I feel like there are those who intentionally try to tarnish the image of Afghan migrants by blaming every misdeed on them. Some take advantage of the situation to cover up their own wrongdoings by blaming their illegal acts on Afghan migrants. Conspiracy theories are common.
For example, when a girl named Elaheh Hosseinnezhad was murdered, it was initially claimed that ‘Afghans’ were responsible. Even though it was soon revealed that her killer was Iranian, horrific crimes against Afghans had already been committed, such as the brutal murder of Kobra Rezaei. Yet, those crimes are not taken as seriously or followed up by authorities the way they are when an Afghan is accused.
It is now extremely difficult for Afghans to move around in Tehran and other cities in Iran. I feel like there is no place left for us in this country, and that we will all be forced to return to Afghanistan, a country where I could end up imprisoned by the Taliban, or worse. Although I initially thought that the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war would delay the forced deportation of migrants, there has been a surge in arrests of undocumented Afghans due to growing rumours being spread that that Afghan refugees may be collaborating with anti-government groups.
Even though some Afghan migrants are prepared to return voluntarily, they are left in a state of limbo regarding their departures. Many individuals and families have received exit documents and are ready to leave Iran but have neither recovered the deposits they paid for their homes and cannot transport their belongings. My wife and I are overwhelmed with worry about the future of our small family. The last time I heard back from organizations that support journalists, they told me that they cannot help because I hadn’t been actively working as a journalist in the past three years. For now, we remain in Tehran, filled with fear and anxiety over the possibility of arrest.
Farhadi pen name of a journalist from Afghanistan.
