Iran Embassy in Kabul: There Was No Intention to Insult Afghan Migrants

The Iranian embassy in Afghanistan confirmed that Afghan nationals were displayed at a police exhibition in Shiraz "in an open space and behind a fence" and stated that "no one was placed inside a cage" and "there was no intention to insult them." Meanwhile, while the police announced that these individuals were arrested for "crimes" such as "theft" and "drug distribution," the Iranian embassy in Afghanistan reported that their accusation was "illegal entry and residence" in Iran. According to ILNA news agency, the Iranian embassy in Kabul on Saturday evening, September 20, described the published images from the police exhibition in Shiraz as "selective" and the reaction of the Afghan Ministry of Refugees as "hasty." According to this embassy, "the individuals arrested by the police were kept in an open space and behind a fence, and no one was placed inside a cage, and there was absolutely no intention or purpose to insult them." The Iranian embassy in Afghanistan stated that these individuals were arrested for "illegal entry and residence" in Iran. This embassy also claimed that the treatment of these Afghan nationals "was in no way against international conventions and bilateral agreements regarding the rights of migrants and refugees." Hafiz Ahmad Miakhil, spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Refugees, condemned the display of illegal Afghan migrants "in a cage" in Shiraz during an interview with Radio Farda on Saturday, September 20. Several civil society activists from Afghanistan also protested this action of the police by gathering in front of the Iranian consulate in Herat. This action by the police sparked protests from several Iranian parliament representatives, various political and social figures, and Iranian social media users. In response to the protests, the police information center announced that in recent days, 275 individuals, including "armed robbers, rapists, thugs, drug distributors, and smugglers," were arrested. This force emphasized that "among the arrested individuals, a few were also foreign nationals who... were treated like other suspects, and the rumors published in this regard are fundamentally false." On Tuesday, September 16, the police held an exhibition of "discoveries from police stations in Shiraz over the past 48 hours," showcasing some of the seized items by this force, including drugs, alcoholic beverages, and "unauthorized" films. In this exhibition, several Afghan nationals who had been arrested for lacking residence permits in Iran were displayed while their eyes were covered with white cloth and surrounded by a metal fence. On the same day, Nasir Keshavarz, the deputy coordinator of the police force in Fars province, announced that during a two-day operation, 277 "illegal foreign nationals" were arrested in this province.