An Afghan sociology student at Tehran University remains in detention by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence after being arrested while researching the forced deportations of Afghan migrants.
Sara Gohari, 29, was detained on July 6 while traveling to the Iran-Afghanistan border to conduct independent research on the forced expulsion of Afghan migrants from Iran, according to her lawyer, Reza Shafakhah.
After 10 days without contact, Gohari’s family was able to speak briefly with her and learned she is being held at the Intelligence Department detention center in Mashhad, Shafakhah said.
The family has traveled to Mashhad to follow up on her case.
Gohari was arrested without a judicial warrant and transferred to an undisclosed location without official notification.
Her family has expressed concern about her health and the conditions of her detention.
Before her arrest, Gohari had written on Instagram that she intended to document the accounts of Afghan migrants regarding forced deportations.
Since early June, nearly 450,000 Afghan refugees - many of whom arrived after the Taliban regained power in 2021 - have been deported, and 5,000 children have been separated from their parents, according to reports from UN agencies.
Afghans in Iran have long been blamed for the country’s economic problems, but the crackdown has intensified following the recent conflict with Israel.
During the 12-day war, daily deportations jumped from 2,000 to over 30,000, as Iranian authorities redirected public anger toward this vulnerable minority.
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