The Afghan Women Activists’ Coordinating Body (AWACB), representing thousands of Afghan women globally, has issued a strong condemnation in response to reports suggesting Switzerland may consider deporting Pashtun Afghans to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan based solely on their ethnic identity.
In a statement released today, AWACB expressed deep alarm and outrage over the circulating rumours, warning that if such policies are confirmed, they would represent a serious violation of international law and human rights.
“We strongly and unequivocally condemn any deportation policy based on ethnicity. Such an act would not only be morally reprehensible, but also a clear violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention, international human rights law, and basic human dignity,” the group said.
AWACB emphasized that no ethnic group in Afghanistan is safe under the Taliban regime, which continues to commit systematic and widespread human rights abuses. The organization called any deportation based on ethnicity “a form of ethnic discrimination” that could constitute a crime under international law.
The group has urgently called on international institutions—including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and the Swiss Federal Commission against Racism—to investigate the matter and hold any responsible parties accountable.
AWACB also urged the Swiss government to issue a transparent public statement reaffirming its commitment to human rights, the Geneva Conventions, and the protection of vulnerable communities.
“At a time when Afghanistan faces a gender apartheid regime and rampant ethnic, political, and religious persecution, deporting any Afghan is inhumane,” the statement added. “Deporting someone based on ethnicity is an atrocity.”
The group concluded by expressing solidarity with all Afghan communities—Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, Baloch, and others—and reiterated that human rights are universal and discrimination has no place in humanitarian policy.
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