Photo: Emblem of Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security (SCNS)
Tajikistan’s government has officially confirmed the mass deportation of Afghan refugees residing in the country, according to a statement issued by the press center of the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS).
The agency noted that the influx of foreign nationals into Tajikistan has grown amid a “complex political and economic situation in the region and the world.” The country currently hosts a large number of foreigners, many of whom, it said, entered illegally or are violating residency regulations.
Authorities cited numerous violations of immigration law, including:
▪️ illegal drug trafficking,
▪️ promotion of extremist ideologies,
▪️ forgery of documents to obtain refugee status,
▪️ use of Tajikistan as a transit country,
▪️ and other immigration infractions.
“In light of these circumstances, measures are being taken to deport violators from the country,” the SCNS stated. “In particular, this has led to the expulsion of a number of Afghan nationals.”
Earlier in July, Khaama Press reported that Afghan migrants in Tajikistan had been issued an ultimatum: leave the country within 15 days. Since then, a wave of arrests and deportations has followed, primarily targeting Afghans in Dushanbe, Vahdat, and the Rudaki district. According to reports, many are detained at their workplaces, and families are often not informed of their relatives’ whereabouts.
Media outlets have repeatedly reported that Afghan refugees are being deported in large numbers. According to Musavvir Bakhoduri, head of the Committee of Afghan Immigrants in Tajikistan, the authorities justify the deportations by citing violations of local residency rules. These allegedly include “wearing inappropriate beards, foreign clothing, engaging in improper public behavior, drinking alcohol, creating social conflicts, participating in political debates on social media, promoting extremism and religion, working without legal permits, and insulting people.”
Bakhoduri previously dismissed media reports of mass deportations in July as unsubstantiated, noting that “no refugees have contacted the Committee” on the matter.
However, according to human rights organizations, those deported include not only undocumented individuals but also refugees with pending asylum claims or valid residency permits. The United Nations and other international human rights bodies have expressed serious concern over reports of violence and persecution of those deported to Afghanistan—especially former government employees, military personnel, and activists. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has repeatedly urged Tajikistan’s leadership to halt the deportations and to uphold international standards for protecting vulnerable individuals facing danger in their home country.
Unofficial estimates suggest there are between 10,000 and 13,000 Afghan nationals currently living in Tajikistan, most of them concentrated in Dushanbe, Vahdat, and the Rudaki district. A significant portion are former civil servants and officers who fled Afghanistan following the Taliban’s* rise to power in August 2021.
* Designated as a terrorist organization in several countries.
