Turkiye, Jul. 29, 2026 – We are deeply concerned by recent media reports attributing remarks to the Head of the IOM Office in Afghanistan suggesting that the security situation has "clearly improved" and that, consequently, the return of male migrants is, in principle, possible.

 

Whether or not these reports fully reflect the speaker's intended meaning, the public perception they have created is deeply troubling. Statements made by senior IOM officials carry significant weight and may be relied upon by governments and immigration authorities when making decisions affecting asylum seekers and refugees.

 

Generalized statements suggesting that Afghanistan is now safe for return risk being used to justify forced deportations, despite the continuing human rights concerns and protection risks faced by many Afghans. Such messaging is particularly alarming at a time when an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 Afghans are reportedly being forcibly returned every day from neighboring countries and elsewhere.

 

IOM has long emphasized that return should be voluntary, safe, dignified, and based on informed individual choice. Public statements implying that returns are now generally possible appear inconsistent with these principles and may undermine the protection needs of those who remain at risk. Will the return of male asylum seekers and migrants not, in many cases, result in family separation, deprive women and children of their primary means of livelihood, and expose them to profound psychological, social, and economic hardship?

 

Thousands of former members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, police officers, judges, civil servants, journalists, human rights defenders, women's rights activists, and others associated with the former Afghan government continue to face potential risks because of their previous roles or perceived affiliations. Their safety cannot be assessed through broad generalizations about the overall security situation.

 

We respectfully call on IOM Headquarters to clarify its position and to ensure that all public communications are evidence-based, carefully framed, and mindful of their potentially life-changing consequences. Public messaging should never become a basis for legitimizing premature or unsafe returns.

 

We urge IOM to reaffirm its commitment to the principles of voluntary, safe, and dignified return, individualized risk assessment, and the humanitarian principle of "Do No Harm." At a time when millions of Afghans remain displaced or in need of international protection, every public statement matters.