An Iranian media outlet has reported the arrest of Afghan refugee children aged 10 to 17 by the Iranian police, stating that they were detained despite having the necessary residency documents.
Tarz Press – On Saturday, August 10, Iran's Shargh newspaper reported, citing its sources, that the Iranian police often did not check the residency documents of Afghan refugees, and among those arrested were children aged 10 to 17, some of whom were even transferred to camps.
The report from Shargh noted that deporting children under 18 and women alone is against Iranian law, but these actions are being carried out by the Iranian police. The report highlighted the case of Amir Ali, a 15-year-old Afghan teenager who was recently arrested for deportation despite having residency documents. Shargh mentioned that during his arrest, Amir Ali's shoulder was injured, and his hearing aid, which had been obtained with difficulty, was destroyed.
Sima Sadr, a social worker with Amir Ali's family, told Shargh that Afghan children aged 10 to 17 are being arrested for deportation despite having sufficient documentation. Sadr, who has experienced many incidents similar to Amir Ali's, added, "This is not the first time that children under 18 are being sent to camps for deportation without checking their identity documents."
This social activist stated that over the past six months, she has repeatedly heard reports of children aged 10 to 17 being arrested without having their identity documents checked. Meanwhile, Reza Shafakhah, a legal rights activist, told Shargh that the detention of minors is not in accordance with the laws of the Islamic Republic or the conventions Iran has signed.
Shafakhah emphasized that "illegal immigrants" should be dealt with according to the legal framework of the relevant refugee conventions and domestic laws. He said, "The police should not pick up anyone, whether they have documents or not, at street corners and take them directly to camps for deportation. The police should not personally take action to arrest these individuals."
This legal activist stressed that the deportation of children under 18 without their families is prohibited under all laws and insisted that if deportation is to occur, it must be done with a court order and with the family. Referring to the incident where an Iranian police officer kneeled on the neck of a deaf Afghan child named Seyed Mahdi, Shafakhah stated that the police have no right to physically assault anyone: "These actions are all illegal, but what we see happening in the city these days is that whether refugees have documents or not, they are being deported."
The incident involving Seyed Mahdi has sparked widespread reactions, and officials from the Taliban embassy in Tehran recently stated that they are investigating the matter through diplomatic channels.
