The Story of Afghan Refugees on the Iran-Turkey Smuggling Route: When I Saw the Corpses, I Felt I Wouldn’t Survive

Sayed Mohammad Raqib Fayyaz

Bayan News – With the resurgence of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, displacement and illegal migration have once again cast a shadow over the people of the country, and a new wave of deadly and dangerous migrations has affected various segments of the population.

The uncertain future of Afghanistan and the lack of employment opportunities have been the main reasons for illegal migrations in the past two years. During this time, a significant number of educated and skilled Afghan youth have resorted to illegal routes to reach European and Western countries.

This report narrates the story of a refugee who was working with foreign organizations in Afghanistan. Due to security concerns, he and his family are forced to take the dangerous smuggling route to Turkey.

Ahmad Naseri (a pseudonym), who did not anticipate the collapse of the republic system, is forced to travel through all the routes leading to Turkey, paying a hefty amount of money to human smugglers.

Naseri and some of his friends decide to go to Iran and then move towards Turkey. Iran, being close to Afghanistan, has not been an easy route to reach Tehran illegally. They have even experienced hunger and thirst on their way to Iran, and the bitterness of those experiences is still fresh in their minds.

When this Afghan refugee and his companions arrive in Tehran, the friends who were previously residing in Iran find a human smuggler two days later and they all ride on a motorcycle from a park in Tehran. The motorcycle, which can accommodate four people, is now carrying twelve people to reach the Turkish border.

Naseri says that after enduring many hardships, they reach the border region between Iran and Turkey, which is Maku. In Maku, Naseri and his companions are guided to a dormitory and spend the night there, planning to move towards Turkey the next day. The smuggler says it takes 50 minutes to reach Turkey, but Naseri spends a whole twelve hours traversing the treacherous mountains, but they never reach their destination.

He mentions in his statements that in the treacherous mountains of Iran and Turkey, he has seen many bodies that perished from hunger and the cold weather.

He and his companions are finally detained by Iranian border forces in these treacherous mountains and subjected to severe beatings, to the extent that some of Naser’s companions’ limbs are broken, and then they are left in the snow.

Naseri further describes the ill-treatment by the Iranian border forces, who confiscated their phones and disrespected their family photos.

According to this refugee, Naseri and his companions are abandoned by the border forces at 2:00 a.m., threatening to leave them in the plains to fall prey to wild animals as a lesson for other Afghans. It was at this moment that Naseri and the others present with him felt as though their lives would no longer matter.

He states that after eight hours of confusion, with no energy to move, they decide to take an alternative route for their survival and to reach their destination. With great effort and by establishing contact with a determined smuggler, they decide to enter Turkey through the commercial route in Iran, using cargo trucks from the customs route. However, this route is not easy for Naseri either, as they are scattered by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and consequently become captives of thieves.

Naseri is forced to ask his friends in Turkey for help to save their lives. He requests five thousand dollars to be deposited into the thieves’ bank account, and in return, he manages to free himself with the cooperation of his friends.

Although he succeeds in entering Turkey with the help of a human smuggler, he suffers an eye injury. When Naseri tries to see a doctor, his friends tell him that the doctor is not available.

After two years, his eye still hasn’t recovered, causing him pain. Currently residing in Turkey, he faces numerous challenges, including the threat of expulsion.

According to Naseri, the Turkish government continuously imposes new immigration laws, and the police in this country are constantly trying to detain Afghan refugees.