Iranian weightlifters fight for a stolen childhood dream
Parisa Jahanfekrian and Yekta Jamali fled Iran, a decision full of great risk and personal sacrifice. But systematic oppression and discrimination left the weightlifters no choice.
Parisa Jahanfekrian and Yekta Jamali fled Iran, a decision full of great risk and personal sacrifice. But systematic oppression and discrimination left the weightlifters no choice.
The Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Iran on Monday to discuss the situation for Afghan migrants there, as tensions between Iran and Afghanistan intensified.
More than three months ago, a young Afghan man named Banochai Elham went missing in the mountains in the far northwest of Iran. He had left Afghanistan with the help of a smuggler, in the hope of reaching Turkey. In an open letter his brother expressed his desperation. While there are organizations committed to tracing those who go missing on migration journeys, many families are forced to search alone.
The UK’s National Crime Agency has arrested a man in east London who they suspect was a "leading figure in an organized crime group supplying significant numbers of small boats to people smugglers."
As Afghans fleeing the Taliban face dwindling opportunities to seek safety in the West, many have attempted to cross into neighboring Iran. Tehran is warning that it cannot handle the additional refugees, and reports of mistreatment of the Afghans in Iran are leading to growing friction.
Diplomatic tensions between Iran and Afghanistan have been on the rise following the circulation of videos alleged to show Afghan refugees being beaten and humiliated by Iranians over the weekend.
German authorities last week deported an Iranian woman and her teenage daughter, leaving the girl's father behind. He now faces a dilemma: Should he fight to bring his wife and daughter back, or follow them to the land they fled more than a decade ago?
More than 28,500 people arrived in Britain by crossing the English Channel from France in small boats in 2021. These irregular journeys to the UK across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes have been sharply on the rise in recent years.
An Iranian woman, now living in Germany, has taken a claim of torture, abuse and pushbacks against Greece to the UN Human Rights Committee.
Responding to a request for assistance from Iran, the European Commission coordinated the delivery of 2.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for Afghan refugees in Iran.
Hossien Rezaye arrived in Amsterdam on one of the final flights out of Kabul. A combination of timing and luck allowed him a narrow escape from the Taliban as the extremists encroached on Afghanistan's capital. He was evacuated to the Netherlands with help from The Cartoon Movement – an Amsterdam-based NGO – and the Dutch Foreign Ministry.
The UN agency for refugees has asked the international community to provide greater support to Iran in order to help protect people fleeing from neighboring Afghanistan. Many Afghans have left the country following the Taliban takeover in mid-August.