United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said he is “alarmed” by reports that Afghan refugees are being abused in Pakistan as the country carries out its policy of forced mass deportation.
In a statement Wednesday, Türk expressed concern at reports that “the arbitrary expulsion of Afghan nationals from Pakistan has been accompanied by abuse, including ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detention, destruction of property and personal belongings, and extortion.”
He called on Pakistani authorities to suspend the repatriation program “until individual assessment procedures and other safeguards required by international law are in place,” and appealed to Islamabad to probe “complaints of abuse by law enforcement officers.”
According to the UN, more than 327,000 refugees have been repatriated to Afghanistan from Pakistan, with “many compelled to leave out of fear of arrest.”
The UN Human Rights Chief called on Pakistan authorities to ensure protection for individuals who “may face persecution, torture, ill-treatment, or other irreparable harm in Afghanistan, in accordance with the principle of non-refoulement.”
Türk added that women and girls are particularly vulnerable if repatriated involuntarily as the “de facto authorities’ policies and edicts” limit their right to education, access to earning a living, movement, and participation in public life.
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