May 06 (The Killid Group) — A spokesman for the Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani condemned the alleged act by Iranian border guards that reportedly have beaten and then forced several Afghan migrants into a river near the shared border.
Sediq Sediqqi in a recent tweet on Wednesday condemned the alleged beating and throwing Afghan migrants into Harirud river, calling it “brutal and inhumane act” and a “unforgivable crime”.
A number of Afghan migrants trying to enter to Iran illegally were caught in the border between the two countries that reports allegedly indicated they were beaten then forced to jump into the Harirud river by Iranian guards in the border.
Out of 56 Afghan migrants, at least five bodies were pulled out of river and were taken to Herat province and 23 others were either drowned or missing, according to Afghan officials.
The presidential spokesperson assured in a tweet that the foreign ministry of the Afghan government will thoroughly probe the issue to ensure justice.
Likewise, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, the acting FM assured that the Afghan government will probe the allegations that Iranian border guards have tortured then threw Afghan migrants into river with all the “possibilities of country’s diplomacy”.
The government of Iran promised a further investigation into the incident though it had rejected the initial claims, saying the incident took place on Afghan soil.
The “incident” took place on Afghan soil, said Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry in a statement, adding that “Border guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran denied the occurrence of any events related to this on the soil of our country.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said a joint delegation would be assigned to investigate claims that dozens of Afghan migrants crossing illegally into Iran were beaten up by Iranian border guards and thrown into a river—a request the Iranian government promised.
The Afghan government received an official note of the neighboring country, accepting a call for a joint investigation of the issue, a statement by the Afghan foreign ministry read.
Every year, hundreds of thousands Afghans try to enter to Iran hoping to find work of which some 1.5 to 3 million Afghan refugees live and work in Iran, many as daily wage workers.
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