Radio Liberty reported on January 11 that two Afghan women - Tamkin Mehrabuddin and her sister – have been deported in recent weeks from Tajikistan, which is home to some 100,000 Afghans.  Their brother, who lived separately from them, was also deported.      

The 24-year-old Tamkin said she and her sister both had valid visas to reside in Tajikistan, adding that their residency documents were confiscated by the police the day before their deportation.

Tamkin and her sister are among the scores of Afghans who have been deported in recent weeks from neighboring Tajikistan, which is home to some 10,000 Afghans. Her brother, who lived separately from them, was also deported.

The deportations have reportedly triggered anger in Tajikistan, where criticism of the authorities is rare.

According to Radio Liberty, many of the deportees were abruptly summoned by the police and expelled without any due process, despite having temporary visas or documents showing they have been registered as refugees.

The move has triggered fear that they could face possible retribution in their homeland, which has been under the Taliban’s repressive rule since 2021, although no country has formally recognized the extremist group's government.

Afghanistan’s consulate in Khorog, the capital of Tajikistan’s Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous region (GBAO), which represents the Taliban-led administration in Kabul, was cited as saying that around 60 Afghans were expelled from Tajikistan last month.

“They had their documents in order, and I don’t know what the reason for their expulsion was,” said a consulate officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Radio Liberty.

Nusratullo Mahmadzoda, a spokesperson for Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry, was cited as saying that he was not aware of the deportations, adding that foreigners are deported if they “do not follow immigration rules.”

But the Dushanbe office of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said at least 37 of the Afghans deported had refugee status.

Tajikistan, which shares a border of around 1,300 kilometers with Afghanistan, is home to documented and undocumented Afghan migrants and refugees.

Some have lived in the country for decades, while others fled there after the Western-backed Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Most of Tajikistan’s Afghan community live in Vahdat Township, which is on the outskirts of Dushanbe.  Tajikistan is seen by many Afghans as a transit country from where they hope to reach the West.

In a statement issued on December 7, the UNHCR office in Dushanbe expressed “grave concern” over the forcible return of Afghans and urged the Tajik government to halt the deportations and uphold its “obligations to protect those fleeing persecution.”

According to Radio Liberty, social media users have been particularly critical of the deportation of Tamkin Mehrabuddin, a graduate of the Technological University in Dushanbe.

On social media, Tamkin had recently complained of “psychological abuse” at the hands of her husband, an Afghan who was living in Tajikistan.  Her allegations prompted the Tajik authorities to launch an investigation.

Some Tajiks on social media reportedly said Mehrabuddin could face torture or death in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has severely curtailed women’s rights.

Other Tajik social media users recalled how tens of thousands of Tajiks took refuge in Afghanistan during Tajikistan’s civil war in the 1990s.

Taliban officials did not respond to RFE/RL’s request for comment.

Tajikistan had previously come under criticism by the UNHCR for deporting scores of Afghans in 2021 and 2022.

The latest expulsions come as Afghan migrants and refugees are under increased pressure in neighboring countries.