The Presence of Afghan Nationals in Mazandaran Province Declared 'Prohibited'

The director general of foreign nationals and migrants in the Mazandaran governorate announced the prohibition of residence and presence of Afghan nationals in the province in the second half of the current year, stating that those Afghan nationals who have Iranian mothers 'can live in the country.' Mohammad Taghi Shafiei, a director in the Mazandaran governorate, said in an interview with the Tasnim news agency on Thursday, December 27, that 'there are two groups of foreign nationals in the province; the first group is illegal and is arrested by the police.' However, according to this official, 'the other group consists of those who have Iranian mothers and can live in the country.' Shafiei mentioned that currently, 889 foreign students are studying in schools in Mazandaran. He noted that among the Afghan nationals residing in Mazandaran, 90% do not have a 'satisfactory' financial situation, adding that 'some Afghan residents in the province are engaged in the export of flowers and plants to Central Asian countries.' Shafiei had also announced the governorate's decision to expel Afghan nationals in 2012. In response to this decision, a group of Iranian filmmakers and actors, including Dariush Mehrjui, Mani Haqiqi, Leila Hatami, Niki Karimi, Ali Mosaffa, and several other artists protested against this decision. In this context, in recent years, some other provinces in Iran have announced plans to prohibit the presence of Afghans in these provinces. For instance, Mohammad Reza Pourabrahimi, a representative from Kerman in the parliament, reported on Thursday, September 6, that in a security council meeting in the province with the presence of the Minister of Interior, it was decided to draft a 'comprehensive plan for the complete prohibition of Afghan presence' in the province, considering 'social and security issues, and international matters.' The news of the prohibition of Afghan nationals in Mazandaran comes at a time when reports of mistreatment of Afghan nationals in Iran have also surfaced in recent days. For example, the Shahrvand newspaper reported on December 25 that a teacher in the Pakdasht county of Tehran province forced four Afghan students to 'put their hands in the toilet' as punishment. In response to this news, Gholamali Khani, the director general of the Pakdasht Education Department, stated that this teacher punished the four students, but 'not in the way' described by the students. In recent weeks, a video of a humiliating encounter between an Iranian police officer and Afghan nationals was widely circulated on social media. Following the release of this video, Saeed Montazeralmahdi, the social deputy of the police, stated on Wednesday, December 26, that the police commander ordered the identification of the offenders and legal and disciplinary action 'commensurate with the misconduct of the officers.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday, December 21, that the residency of 450,000 Afghan nationals who are part of the 'organization plan' has been extended for six months during negotiations between Mohammad Mohaghegh, the deputy executive president of Afghanistan, and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Javid Faisal, the spokesperson for the Kandahar governor, stated on Wednesday, December 12, that the residency visa of about 760,000 Afghan refugees in Iran will expire in 20 days, raising concerns that Iran may expel them. The Iranian government has approved regulations for the return of Afghan nationals to their country in recent years, including the 'regulation to expedite the return of Afghan nationals' approved by the cabinet on December 20, 2003. In the latest action, the Iranian government announced on July 13 of this year in a circular that employment of foreign nationals in public and non-governmental organizations in Iran is prohibited. The approval of such circulars and laws has been a subject of extensive discussions in Iranian civil society. In this context, the monthly arrest of '100 to 150 thousand' 'illegal' Afghans in Iran continues, and 'dozens' of Afghan nationals were arrested in the city of Rey for holding a celebration. The residency of 450,000 Afghan nationals in Iran has been extended for six months, and Iran has agreed to allow Afghan students to study in two new university fields.