Perhaps no one is willing to accept the absence of their homeland, family, and friends. Accepting a way full of uncertainty and danger through smugglers to arrive in a place where you can survive is also not an easy task to do but all these become very easy to do so if you find yourself in a land of conflict, where living is dangerous and you don’t want to be killed by the next bomb, where you saw your friends and family members have been killed, just because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Three Afghan teens asylum seekers ended their life last one month in refugee camps in Sweden. According to VOA, 7 afghan refugees attempted to end their life in last two weeks which 3 of them were successful. The reason behind this is tougher asylum rules after EU-Afghanistan aid-deal. Their asylum application was rejected once by immigration authority and they were scared of being deported to their country of origin.

On 3 June 2016 another 16 years old afghan asylum seeker, Mustafa Ansari ended his life. Sweden Migration authority had not managed to take his asylum application interview during nine months.

In October 2016 the European Union and Afghanistan signed an agreement so-called conditional aid or deportation-aid deal which allows EU members to return back dozens of asylum seekers to Afghanistan and in return EU pledged aid to the Afghan government to rebuild the country and the EU can get rid of the Afghans that reached Europe in 2015 and 2016.

According to Transparency International, Afghanistan is among the most corrupt countries in the word. The country is also already facing the crisis of internally displaced people fleeing violence within its borders some 3.7 million are living in IPD camps around the country. An additional 2.5 million Afghan refugees are also facing deportation from Pakistan. Afghanistan remained one of the poorest countries in the word. Asylum seekers returning back to the war zone face serious challenges including persecution, war, insurgency, and poverty. International human rights law pose an obligation on states not to deport those whom they face threat and persecution in their country of origin.

Fighting and insurgency in Afghanistan are not only limited to the countryside, the Taliban carries out regular attacks in Kabul as well.

More than four suicide bomb and militant attacks in Kabul, Kandahar, and Helmand killed up to 80 people and wounded more than 150 most of them civilians in just first one and half month of 2017.

At least 20 people have been killed and 41 wounded in a most recent suicide bombing at Afghanistan’s Supreme Court in Kabul on 7 February 2017.

Targeting Hazara community

On 13^th October 2016, a gunman wearing Afghanistan National Armey Security Forces Uniform on Ashura night opened fire on Shia Hazara mourners at Sakhi, Kabul, killed 14 and wounded 54. The following morning a blast of explosive device killed at least more than 10 in northern Afghanistan, Balkh province. Another deadly bombing targeted the most peaceful protest on 23 July 2016 that left more than 85 dead and 400 wounded.

The security environment is worsening for all Afghans notably for Hazaras because they are most vulnerable to insurgency and attacks, identifying physical features, Hazaras are more likely to be targeted. Traveling from Kabul to central parts of Afghanistan often pose significant security challenges to them. Over past 3 years, insurgents have specifically targeted Hazaras traveling on rural roads, they were kidnaped and killed. There have been several mass kidnapping from buses and other vehicles.

UNAMA reported 146 Hazaras were abducted in 20 different incidents in 2015 and several other abductions in the first half of 2016.

On November 2015, three buses were stopped by armed forces on the main road between Kabul-Kandahar, the armed men allegedly singled Hazara passengers and abducted them. This is one incident among many.

Afghans, the majority of them Hazaras fled war and conflict constituted second largest refugees arrived in Europe in 2015 and 2016 are now fearing of being deported to the war zone where they face serious threats, security challenges, widespread unemployment and uncertain future.

Article by Qasim Sahil