Refugees - The Times Of Central Asia

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Asylum

Tajikistan’s Ombudsman Criticizes Violations of Refugee Rights

Tajikistan’s Human Rights Commissioner has released a 2024 report highlighting ongoing violations of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, including challenges in securing legal status and accessing essential services. According to the report, refugees and migrants face systemic barriers to obtaining official status and temporary registration, as well as difficulties integrating into society, finding employment, and accessing education. As of the end of 2024, 10,753 refugees and asylum seekers were registered in Tajikistan, comprising 2,670 families. Among them, 9,424 individuals (2,140 families) held refugee status, while 1,329 (530 families) were awaiting decisions on their asylum applications. The majority, 6,774 people, or 63%, were Afghan nationals. In 2024, 2,280 individuals were issued refugee certificates, and another 2,591 received temporary registration. Four applicants were denied refugee status on grounds of submitting "unfounded or false information." The report did not disclose the nationalities of those denied. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported similar figures for 2024, citing 10,381 registered refugees and asylum seekers in Tajikistan. This marks a decline from 2022, when the UN estimated the number of Afghan asylum seekers in the country at around 14,000. The Ombudsman’s report also noted that several Afghan asylum seekers were expelled from Tajikistan in 2024 for violating residency rules. Cited reasons included wearing a beard “against the rules,” inappropriate clothing, alcohol consumption, and political discussions on social media. Interior Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda defended the deportations, stating in the summer of 2024 that all actions were taken in accordance with national law. “Although they had legal residence, if they violate the law, they are expelled,” he said, adding that all decisions were made within the existing legal framework. Tajikistan accepted its first wave of Afghan refugees in 2021, following the Taliban’s return to power. At the time, authorities acknowledged that the lack of dedicated shelters posed a major challenge. In August 2025, the head of the Emergency Situations Committee said there was no significant threat of a new mass influx of refugees and that previously accommodated families had been resettled across the country. Most Afghan refugees are currently living in the city of Vahdat and the Jabbor Rasulov district.

Refugees

Uzbekistan Introduces Comprehensive Support for Palestinian Evacuees

Uzbekistan has introduced comprehensive measures to assist Palestinian women and children evacuated from Gaza late last year, including financial aid, housing support, free education, and healthcare. A presidential decree published on August 14 announced the creation of a special fund to finance these programs, UzA reported. On December 26, 2024, 100 injured Palestinian women and children were evacuated from Rafah to Uzbekistan. They were admitted to hospitals and rehabilitation centers for treatment and provided with medication and medical examinations. Authorities say the new measures aim not only to address urgent needs but also to help the group adapt and integrate into Uzbek society. Special fund and social support The decree establishes a special fund under the National Social Protection Agency to cover living expenses, rent, and one-time material assistance. Funding will come from charitable donations, international grants, and other legal sources, with spending monitored by a national commission to ensure transparency. The measures include monthly allowances for working-age adults, full coverage of rental costs for families, one-time payments for childbirth and funeral expenses equivalent to those granted to Uzbek citizens, and lump-sum assistance for essential non-food items. Each family will be assigned a local social worker to assess needs and provide tailored support. A Republican Commission will coordinate the work of government agencies to resolve practical issues swiftly. Local mahalla committees and social service centers will directly assist families in adapting to community life. Focus on education and healthcare The decree guarantees free enrollment for children in state kindergartens and schools without waiting lists, with kindergarten fees waived until January 1, 2028. The Ministry of Higher Education will recognize the foreign academic documents of Palestinian students within two months, without fees or additional exams. The Ministry of Health will register evacuees at family medical centers and polyclinics near their residences, granting them free care on the same terms as low-income Uzbek families. Any evacuee diagnosed with a disabling condition will be granted disability status regardless of treatment timelines, while elderly people without sufficient work records will receive pensions within two weeks. Employment and integration The Social Protection Agency has one month to develop proposals for helping evacuees find jobs and acquire new skills. The Ministries of Economy and Labor, along with commercial banks, will include Palestinians in entrepreneurship and small business support programs such as “Family Entrepreneurship,” “Support for Small Business,” and “First Step to Business.” Local officials and community bankers will oversee the use of funds and provide practical guidance. Humanitarian context Uzbekistan’s decision comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run administration, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 145,000 injured since the outbreak of war in October 2023, the Associated Press reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly suggested relocating Palestinians from Gaza to countries including South Sudan, a proposal that Juba has denied discussing. Hamas says it will disarm only if Israeli forces fully withdraw from Gaza, a condition that continues to hinder progress in...

Refugees

Tajikistan Gives Afghan Refugees 15 Days to Leave

Tajikistan has launched a large-scale campaign to detain and deport Afghan refugees, giving them just 15 days to leave the country. The move, reported by Afghanistan’s Khaama Press and confirmed by the UN refugee agency UNHCR, has sparked fear and confusion among thousands of Afghans in Tajikistan, including many with valid residency permits or official asylum documentation. According to Khaama Press, detentions have intensified in recent days, particularly around Vahdat township and Rudaki district near the capital, Dushanbe. Afghan men are reportedly being arrested in large numbers, often directly from their workplaces, with little to no warning or opportunity to contact family members. The deportation order is believed to affect thousands of Afghans, including individuals legally residing in Tajikistan while awaiting resettlement to countries such as Canada. Many are former civil servants, military personnel, or others affiliated with the pre-Taliban Afghan government who fled after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. Human rights advocates warn that forced repatriation could expose them to immediate danger UNHCR Condemnation and International Concerns The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has expressed deep concern over Tajikistan’s actions. In January 2025, UNHCR urged Dushanbe to cease deportations after confirming that at least 80 Afghan refugees were forcibly returned in December 2024, despite holding UN-issued refugee documents. UNHCR stated that these deportations violate international protection obligations and risk exposing vulnerable individuals to persecution, detention, or violence in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. As of late 2024, approximately 9,000 Afghan refugees were officially registered in Tajikistan. With the new 15-day ultimatum and ongoing arrests, many more are now at risk. Refugee advocates report that detentions are being carried out indiscriminately, often without regard for legal status. Part of a Wider Regional Crackdown Tajikistan’s campaign mirrors broader regional trends. In recent months, both Iran and Pakistan have undertaken mass deportations of Afghan nationals. Human rights organizations have documented widespread reports of abuse, intimidation, and even killings of returnees by Taliban forces. Observers warn that options for Afghan refugees are rapidly diminishing. Resettlement programs remain slow, and few countries have opened new asylum pathways. As a result, thousands of displaced Afghans across Central and South Asia face a stark choice: live under constant threat of arrest and expulsion or return to a homeland where persecution may await.

Asylum

As War Rages at Home, Sudanese Student Leaves Kazakhstan for Uncertain Future

A Sudanese student named Amir began studying at a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2023, just a few months before rival military factions in his country launched a devastating civil war that, according to some estimates, has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 10 million to flee their homes. For Amir, the war was the beginning of an extended period of uncertainty during which he faced financial problems, worried about his displaced family back home, unsuccessfully applied for refugee status in Kazakhstan, feared deportation to Sudan and even faced the possibility of living in limbo in the Almaty airport. This weekend, a Kazakh human rights group said the situation of the Sudanese man had been “conditionally resolved positively for the moment” because authorities let him fly to an unspecified country that has visa-free entry for Sudanese nationals. Work on his case is expected to continue. The Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR), a non-governmental group that was founded in 1993, had helped Amir during his ordeal. The group did not provide his surname but posted photos of the young man on Facebook. It thanked Almaty airport officials for helping to resolve difficult issues as well offices of UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, in at least three countries. The relative improvement in Amir’s situation follows a state of limbo whose roots lie in the war between the Sudanese military and a militia called the Rapid Support Forces, the latest episode of violence in a country that has experienced multiple coup attempts over the decades. The latest fighting set off a humanitarian crisis and allegations of ethnic cleansing and war crimes. Amir “tried to obtain refugee status in Kazakhstan, but in practice, the country grants that status only in extremely rare cases,” said the human rights group KIBHR, which helped the Sudanese students with his unsuccessful appeals of the Kazakh court ruling against him. “Under the court’s decision, Amir had to leave Kazakhstan by May 1, so concerned individuals raised money for a ticket to Rwanda — one of the few countries Sudanese citizens can enter without a visa,” KIBHR said. “However, something went wrong: they didn’t even take his documents for review and immediately deported him from the airport back to Qatar, through which he had traveled en route to Rwanda.” In Doha airport, Amir was put on a flight back to Almaty, where authorities prepared to send him back to Qatar, according to the human rights group. But an airline refused to fly him to Qatar, leaving him stranded in Almaty and facing the possibility of deportation to Sudan. “What saved the situation was the concern that Amir might harm himself during the flight or his condition might seriously deteriorate, and they were unable to provide an escort. As a result, he was allowed to fly to one of the countries (not specified) that still has visa-free entry for Sudanese nationals, and he was admitted there,” the human rights group....

Human rights

UNHCR Again Urges Tajikistan to Stop Deporting Afghan Refugees

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called on Tajikistan to immediately halt the deportation of Afghan refugees, following reports that dozens were forcibly returned to Afghanistan last month. According to UNHCR, at least 80 Afghan refugees were deported from Tajikistan in December 2024, despite many holding valid refugee documents. The agency warned that such actions violate international protection standards and could put deportees at risk. By the end of 2024, around 9,000 Afghan refugees were residing in Tajikistan. UNHCR has expressed concern that further deportations could endanger many more lives. Regional Context and Increasing Deportations Tajikistan is not the only country tightening its stance on Afghan refugees. Iran and Pakistan have also intensified deportations in recent months. Reports indicate that Iran has expelled 586,000 undocumented Afghans since the start of the current solar year. Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation stated that nearly 12,000 Afghan migrants have returned from Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey in the past three weeks. The rise in deportations has added pressure on Afghan refugees, many of whom are already struggling due to Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis. UNHCR has reiterated its appeal for international cooperation, urging host countries to balance national security concerns with humanitarian obligations. Previously, Mosawer Bahadori, head of Afghanistan’s Migration Committee (Aryana) in Tajikistan, urged Tajik authorities to respect refugee rights and uphold their international commitments in protecting displaced Afghans.

Refugees Palestine

28 Citizens of Kazakhstan Evacuated from Gaza Strip

According to the representative of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Egypt, 28 citizens of Kazakhstan have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Egypt. According to preliminary data, there are still estimated to be ten Kazakhstan nationals trapped there. “Regarding their evacuation, everything depends on the current military situation, and on whether they will be able to reach Egypt," said Sanjar Ualikhanov, Adviser to the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Egypt. Oksana Helles, a citizen of Kazakhstan who had been living in Palestine addressed the situation: “Recently, we had been living in the Gaza Strip. My husband is still there, and I take this opportunity to ask for help so that he can also come to me and reunite our family. He works as a doctor, and I also worked as a nurse. We had five children, and about two weeks ago my daughter was killed; she was 19-years-old and six months pregnant. She died along with her husband, his nephews and parents.” “I am a Palestinian, but I studied in Kazakhstan, graduated from a medical university there, and married a Kazakh, so I’m also a citizen of Kazakhstan,” said another evacuee, Elyanakh Akhmet. “Since the war began, it’s been a frightening ordeal for us. We had been building our lives for so many years, and everything was destroyed in an instant.” All the evacuees expressed their great gratitude to the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Egypt, and asked for further help.