Iranian Intellectuals, Activists Call Afghan Expulsions Inhumane

Demonstrators express anger over deportations outside the Iranian Embassy in Kabul in early May (AFP) May 9, 2007 -- More than 200 Iranian intellectuals and political activists have issued a statement criticizing the recent expulsion of Afghan refugees from Iran.

Signatories also call on the government in Tehran to stop the move and lift social restrictions against Afghans living in Iran.

The statement describes the forced repatriation of Afghans to a country that is still suffering from more than two decades of conflict as an "inhumane and unacceptable" policy.

Afghan authorities recently urged Iran to stop the repatriation of Afghan refugees, saying that they cannot afford to resettle them.

(iran-emrooz.net)