7.3 Refugees and the right to seek asylum

Poland-Belarus Border. 29 August 2021. Planet Labs.

“Now we are in a country where we don’t know the language. Do we have the energy to start from zero? No one wanted to leave- but we

are forced to go”191

On 18 August 2021, Iranian authorities announced that they will deny entry to Afghan refugees.192 In the north, as of 31 August, borders with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have been closed.193 Uzbekistan closed its main crossing point with Afghanistan as of 31 August to “ensure security”.194 Even though Tajikistan initially announced it will accept thousands of Afghan asylum seekers, it has kept its border closed. As of 1 September, 80 families seeking entry, were waiting at the border.195 Similarly, Turkmenistan has not allowed Afghan asylum seekers in since the Taliban took control of districts on the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border in July 2021.196 New construction is visible along the Turkey border with Iran.197 It will hinder crossing of Afghan refugees coming from Iran. At the Poland-Belarus border, 32 Afghan nationals are among refugees who are at risk of push back by Polish authorities.198

191 Interview with Ayesha. Phone conversation. 8 September 2021. Amnesty International. 192 The Hill. 18 August 2021. “Iran closes border to fleeing Afghans”. https://thehill.com/policy/international/568421-iran-closes-border-to-fleeingafghans?rl=1. 193 BBC. 31 August 2021. “How many Afghan refugees are there and where will they go?”. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58283177. 194 BBC. 31 August 2021. “How many Afghan refugees are there and where will they go?”. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58283177. 195 Reuters. 2 September 2021. “Tajikistan can’t afford to take in Afghan refugees without help – police chief”. https://www.reuters.com/world/asiapacific/tajikistan-cant-afford-take-afghan-refugees-without-help-police-chief-2021-09-02/. 196 The Diplomat. 19 July 2021. “Greater coordination in Central Asian responses to border troubles”. https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/greatercoordination-in-central-asian-responses-to-afghan-border-troubles/. 197 Planet Labs. 2021. Image on 7.27.2021 compared with image on 9.7.2021. https://www.planet.com/stories/caldiran_turkey-vc28KNSng. 198 Amnesty International. 25 August 2021. “Protect Afghans stuck at border”. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/08/poland-belarus-protectafghans-stuck-at-border/. HRW. 2 September 2021. “Afghans Stuck at Poland’s Border Need Protection”. https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/09/02/afghans-stuck-polands-border-need-protection.