The Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan, fully aware of its moral and political responsibility, firmly and unequivocally condemns the cruel, barbaric, and inhumane actions committed by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran against innocent Afghan migrants and refugees.
Hundreds of thousands of Afghans — women, children, the elderly, and the sick — are subjected to systematic persecution, humiliation, violent deportations, mistreatment, and arbitrariness by Iranian authorities. They are forcibly evicted from their homes, their documents — passports and visas — are destroyed, they are held in inhuman conditions, thrown across the border without food or water, and in cases of the slightest resistance — tortured or even executed. The Iranian police and security forces, through threats, violence, blackmail, and extortion, confiscate the property, money, and savings of migrants. Those unable to pay for their stay in the camps are beaten, tortured, and, in some cases, killed. The regime in Tehran openly practices mass violence, ethnic discrimination, and the desecration of Islamic values. Such actions not only grossly violate international legal norms, but also illustrate the moral and civilizational collapse of a government that hides behind the name of Islam while acting in direct contradiction to its essence.
It is especially outrageous and shameful that these crimes are being committed against the backdrop of the constant grandiose declarations made by the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran about “Persian brotherhood and linguistic unity,” about the “solidarity of Persian-speaking peoples” and the “shared culture” of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. We state with absolute certainty: all of this is falsehood, hypocrisy, and political manipulation. What kind of “civilization” is this, where women are beaten to the point of broken bones, pregnant women are thrown out of buses, and children are left to die in the desert? Where is this so-called “brotherhood” if destitute people who have lost everything are discarded beyond the country’s borders as if they are worthless and undeserving of even basic human dignity?
In the sacred month of Muharram — the month of remembrance for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), a symbol of the struggle against injustice and the triumph of Islamic justice — we watch with pain and fury as savage and barbaric acts are perpetrated against thousands of Afghan Muslims. We remind the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran: Afghans are Muslims too, your brethren in faith. Torture, humiliation, discrimination, violent deportations, and killings — all of this stands in stark opposition to the spirit of Islam and the essence of the month of Muharram. If you truly consider yourselves defenders of Islam, then repent during this month, show mercy, and cease trampling on the dignity of Muslims.
We call on the Muslim states, the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and international human rights bodies to initiate an independent and impartial investigation into the crimes and mass human rights violations being committed by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran against Afghan migrants and asylum seekers.
The Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan expresses its deep respect and full solidarity with the people of Iran who are struggling for freedom, and with the long-suffering people of Afghanistan. We are with you — in pain, in struggle, and in hope. You are our brothers and sisters, united with us by Islam, culture, and a common historical destiny.
Sharofiddin Gadoev
Chairman of the Movement for Reforms and Development of Tajikistan
6 July 2025
