KABUL (Pajhwok): Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the French government to reconsider plans to return Afghan migrants to their country and take their human rights and living conditions into account.
In a statement, the HRW said the French government had confirmed the start of “technical discussions” with officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the forced return of Afghan nationals residing illegally in France.
The organisation described the move as a worrying shift in France’s migration policy, warning that it could expose Afghan migrants to human rights risks.
According to the report, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the discussions aimed to facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals who were residing illegally in France and were considered a threat to national security.
However, HRW said French officials had so far provided no specific guarantees to protect people at risk, including women.
Fereshta Abbasi, HRW’s Afghanistan researcher, wrote that cooperation between France and Islamic Emirate officials on the return of Afghan migrants could expose them to the risk of human rights violations.
The report noted that a delegation of Islamic Emirate officials had travelled to Brussels in June this year and held talks with European Union officials on migration policies and the return of migrants.
HRW added that Germany had returned 263 Afghan nationals to Afghanistan since last year.
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