The Swiss Refugee Council strongly opposed the planned resumption of deportations of Afghan men from Switzerland, which the State Secretariat for Migration intends to enforce from mid-April 2025. The SEM considers returns “reasonably feasible” in certain cases, but the Swiss Refugee Council warns that due to the Taliban’s arbitrary governance and absence of rule-of-law structures, Afghan returnees face significant risks of human rights violations and existential hardship.
The Swiss Refugee Council highlights human rights risks (arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and persecution of regime opponents, including families of women resisting Taliban restrictions). Additionally, returnees from Europe could be targeted as “westernized.”
The Swiss Refugee Council raised security concerns, in particular the Taliban regime lacks a coherent legal hierarchy, giving local authorities wide discretion in enforcement, contributing to pervasive insecurity.
Finally, the Swiss Refugee Council stressed the humanitarian crisis that Afghanistan is facing, which includes a deep socio-economic crisis, including mass unemployment, poverty, widespread food insecurity affecting millions, and ongoing displacement due to forced returns from Iran and Pakistan. Malnutrition, especially among children and pregnant women, is critical.