Afghan Christians in Tajikistan Face Deportation
Dushanbe, Tajikistan – Afghan Christian refugees in Tajikistan are living under growing fear and uncertainty amid reports that the Central Asian nation may soon begin mass deportations of Afghan asylum seekers, potentially sending many back to a deadly fate under Taliban rule.
The alarming situation comes in the wake of years of instability in Afghanistan, which escalated drastically after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. An estimated 3.6 million Afghans fled the country between 2021 and 2022, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Iran, and Tajikistan.
But regional attitudes toward Afghan refugees have hardened. Pakistan has deported more than 845,000 Afghans in the past 18 months. Iran recently announced plans to remove four million Afghan nationals. According to UN estimates, nearly two million Afghans have been forced out of both countries over the last seven months alone.
Tajikistan, though smaller, may now be following suit. According to reports from Premier Christian News, Tajik officials have begun informing Afghan refugees and asylum seekers that all Afghans must leave the country within two weeks. In the last ten months alone, 485 Afghans have already been deported from Tajikistan; 334 of them registered as refugees or asylum seekers.
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Among those most at risk are Afghan Christian converts, a small but deeply vulnerable community. With Christianity viewed as apostasy by the Taliban, forced repatriation could amount to a death sentence.
In a moving letter shared anonymously by an Afghan Christian leader, the community pleaded with global believers for prayer and support.
“We, a community of Afghan believers, now reside in Tajikistan. Yet our situation is uncertain and filled with fear and hope mingled together,” the letter said. “Some of us face the threat of forced return, a return not to safety, but for many, to the very mouth of death.”
The letter described the Afghan Christian community as a “younger brother” in the global family of faith, urging churches around the world to lift their voices on behalf of those facing exile and danger.
“Do not let the faith of these dear ones be crushed under the weight of exile and fear,” the message concluded.
As pressure mounts on Tajikistan to align with its neighbour’s deportation policies, advocates are calling on the international community to intervene and provide urgent protection to Afghan Christians at risk.
Content Credit: Ohidah Oluwaferanmi
Image Credit: military-fandom.com
