Reactions to Iranian Police's Treatment of Afghan Teenager; Taliban: 'Concerning'

Human rights organizations condemned the Iranian police's treatment of a 15-year-old Afghan migrant and called on the United Nations to respond to such behaviors, which they labeled as 'oppression and racial apartheid.' The Human Rights Defenders Assembly on Thursday, August 9, described these actions as 'indicative of violence against Afghan refugees in Iran' and urged the international community to condemn such 'abuses.' The Independent Coalition of Afghan Women's Protest Movements also issued a statement on Friday, August 10, calling such behavior a violation of human rights principles and indicative of 'oppression and racial apartheid.' The coalition's statement noted: 'The disturbing video of the torture of a 15-year-old Afghan refugee by the Iranian police shows how horrific and painful the Iranian government's approach to Afghan refugees is.' Afghan migrants in Iran perform arduous tasks, yet they sometimes face violent encounters with security forces and some members of the public. This coalition believes that Iran and Pakistan have not adhered to the UN Charter and ethical principles, and in a statement, it called on the United Nations to hold these two member countries accountable for the mistreatment and torture of Afghan migrants. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (Ministry of Refugees) in the Taliban government reacted to the Iranian police's actions on Friday, stating: 'Media reports of the treatment of Afghan migrants in Iran have raised their concerns.' This ministry of the Taliban government described the forced expulsion of Afghan migrants as 'against Islamic, international, and neighborly principles.' Concurrently, several social media users, including on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), have rallied in support of Mehdi Mousavi, the Afghan migrant teenager in Iran, condemning the actions of the Iranian police and launching a campaign under the hashtag 'Get Your Foot Off My Neck.' Some users also compared the incident to the death of George Floyd, an African American who died in police custody, using the hashtag 'George Floyd of Afghanistan' to discuss it. A few days ago, a video circulated on social media showing a police officer placing his knee on a boy's neck and cursing at him. Radio Free Europe reported that the incident occurred in the Absard region of Damavand, although the timing of the recording is unverified. As this video was widely shared, eliciting significant reactions on social media, Radio Azadi, the Afghan service of Radio Free Europe, reported that the teenager is named Mehdi and is 15 years old. Subsequently, a report reached Radio Azadi on Thursday in which Mehdi's brother and mother spoke about his poor condition. However, another video was released the following day—Friday, August 10—where Mehdi's brother, contrary to the previous report, stated that Mehdi is healthy. Tasnim, a news agency close to the IRGC, also published this video with the headline 'Another Lie Against the Police Denied, Afghan Youth is Healthy,' confirming the teenager's well-being. In this new video, Mehdi's brother, alongside him and their mother, appears but does not speak. Many social media users and those who initiated the 'Get Your Foot Off My Neck' campaign believe that since this video was shared by government media in Iran, these statements are 'forced confessions.' This is not the first time an Afghan migrant in Iran has faced such treatment; numerous previous reports have documented torture, beatings, mistreatment, and harassment of Afghan migrants by police and some Iranian citizens, with videos of such incidents also shared. Following the release of a video showing the violent treatment of an Afghan teenage migrant by police in Iran and the widespread reactions from users, several Afghan migrants in other regions of Iran also complained about the mistreatment they face. Afghan migrants protested against the harsh treatment from security forces and some Iranian citizens. For instance, Fereshteh, an Afghan migrant in Iran, commented on the current situation of Afghan migrants, saying: 'Recently, various forms of mistreatment have been directed at Afghan nationals, not only physical abuse like the beating and torture that this Afghan child faced but also very ugly behaviors with inappropriate language from Iranian police.' Sadat, another Afghan migrant in Iran, recounted his observations regarding the condition of a relative who had been detained by Iranian police, stating: 'When he was taken away, his father told me that his documents and educational certificates were also taken, but they [the police] did not accept it; in short, it was decided that someone would find 12 million to release him.'