IRAN'S UNEVEN HANDLING OF REFUGEE CLAIMS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 006558

SIPDIS

STATE FOR HTWOOSTER, POSTS FOR IRAN WATCH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2016
TAGS: AF IR IZ PGOV PINR PREL TU
SUBJECT: IRAN'S UNEVEN HANDLING OF REFUGEE CLAIMS

REF: SECSTATE 80055

Classified By: DCM NANCY MCELDOWNEY FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: The Iranian government's approach in dealing
with Afghan refugees is markedly different from the way it
handles Iraqi refugees, according to our consular contacts.
Refugees from Afghanistan face greater official and societal
obstacles than those from Iraq. The Iranian government has
also taken measures to better monitor how the UN High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) deals with refugee
processing. End Summary.

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POLICY CHANGE FOR GOI
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2. (C) Consular officers spoke with UNHCR employees Ms.
Maryam Khomami who was the head of the Afghan Repatriation
Committee of UNHCR and with Ms. Niousha Masoumi Fakhar who
works in the public relations department of UNHCR. Both are
based in UNHCR offices in Iran.


3. (C) According to these women, the Government of Iran
(GOI) completed repatriation of all registered Afghan
refugees in October 2006 and is no longer accepting asylum
claims from Afghans. The GOI has repatriated all registered
Afghan refugees who wished to return to Afghanistan. The
Iranian regime is using more aggressive measures against
economic migrants from Afghanistan living in Iran. Iraqi
refugees, on the other hand, continue to be welcomed.


4. (C) Both sources noted that since the fall of the Taliban
regime in Kabul, the GOI no longer approves refugee status
for Afghans and has stopped accepting refugees from
Afghanistan. In October 2006, the GOI closed the province of
Zabol to resettlement. The GOI attitude towards Afghan
refugees now is that they are illegal aliens seeking economic
opportunities. If they are found, they will be immediately
deported back to Afghanistan.


5. (C) The GOI has also become harsher when dealing with
Afghan refugees whom the GOI previously allowed to settle in
Iran. Ms. Masoumi Fakhar gave the example of a client who
previously was able to attend university in Iran and obtain a
medical degree. Now, two years later, he is not able to
practice medicine because the laws have changed and he does
not have the right to work. Still, he has found a way to
survive by setting up an informal arrangement with a hospital
to work during the graveyard shift.


6. (C) To find illegal aliens, the GOI performs random checks
at work places, mainly construction sites. Oftentimes, their
Afghan accent will expose them. As an example of how the
GOI,s patience for illegal Afghan migrants has run out, Ms.
Masoumi Fakhar recalled how one boy, who was a registered
refugee, was found without his registration card. He was not
allowed to go home to get his card nor was he allowed to see
his mother before being deported. The GOI simply decided
that he was not registered and there was no appeal process.
The mother is now asking to be repatriated to Afghanistan to
be reunited with her son.


7. (C) The GOI also does not like the fact the UNHCR
processes refugees for foreign resettlement because it is
against the idea of sending Muslims to live in non-Islamic
countries. While the GOI grudgingly allows aliens to depart
for foreign resettlement, its attitude is that Muslim
refugees should seek resettlement in Muslim countries where
their faith will be able to deepen.


8. (C) Prior to President Ahmadinejad's election, UNHCR was
able to deal directly with the Iranian Interior Ministry
(note: the office within the MOI that works with refugees is
"BAFIA", headed by a Mr. Hossein. Ms. Masoumi Fakhar did not
provide his first name. End note.). Since his election,
however, they must send all communications to the Ministry of
Interior via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ms. Masoumi
Fakhar said that this is because the GOI decided that
anything related to foreign relations would have to pass
through the MFA, including refugee issues. Diplomatic notes
from UNHCR are passed through Ambassador Al Habi in MFA to
the MOI. Ms. Masoumi Fakhar said that in October 2006 there
was a tri-partite meeting between the GOI, the Afghan
government, and UNHCR in Geneva. She said that the meeting
was held because the GOI was finished with repatriation and
needed to talk about its future dealings with aliens from
Afghanistan.


9. (C) The GOI,s attitude towards Iraqi refugees is quite
different. Iraqi refugees tend to be wealthier than Afghan
refugees, and the Iraqi diaspora in Iran has not been a
problem for the GOI. The GOI still accepts refugees from
Iraq and is sympathetic to their situation. The Iraqi
refugees live in a camp along the Iran-Iraq border in the
Iranian province of Kurdistan. Most of the Iraqi refugees
are Kurdish. They do not venture into the hinterlands of
Iran, nor do they wish to. In the GOI's view, Iraqi refugees
come to escape the violence, not to seek employment.

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REFUGEE LIFE IN IRAN
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10. (C) Both contacts described the refugee process in Iran.
Once arriving in Iran, refugees can only claim benefits if
they register with the GOI. During registration, the GOI
determines if the aliens qualify for refugee status. If they
do not, then they must return to their home country
immediately. Because they are often unregistered, Afghan
illegal aliens may not attend public schools or work. Afghan
aliens who registered before the freeze may attend schools
and university for a fee. The cost for a semester of
university is approximately $500 a month ) a prohibitive
amount for an Afghan refugee.


11. (C) Afghans who illegally reside in Iran mostly come from
Kabul, Bamiam, and Habrab. The lure has been the
availability of higher paying jobs in Iran. Afghan refugees
work mainly in construction, mining, and housekeeping.
Earlier, Iranian companies could easily hire illegal aliens,
but the GOI passed new legislation requiring all aliens to
have a valid Iranian residence card in order to work.
Nonetheless, companies and families looking for household
help continue to hire illegal Afghan refugees.


12. (C) The GOI has no provisions to assist Afghans who try
to integrate into Iranian society. It is difficult for an
Iranian male to marry an Afghan female and almost impossible
for an Iranian female to marry an Afghan male. In the
consular section, we have seen cases where 'mixed' marriages
like this took place outside of Iran, since these marriages
are not recognized and cannot be registered in Iranian
identity books (the shenash nahmes). Furthermore, children
of 'mixed' marriage cannot be registered in their parents,
identity books. It is difficult for Afghans to become
Iranian citizens. When asked if it could ever happen, Ms.
Masoumi Fakhar paused and said, "Maybe if an Afghan (male)
were to become very devote and study theology in Qom, perhaps
it that case it might be allowed."

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IRANIAN PUBLIC OPINION
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13. (C) The public perception of Afghan illegal aliens is
that they are poor and dangerous. Among construction firms,
they are known as honest, hard-working employees. Among the
general population, though, Afghans face discrimination and
are seen as "undesirables" who are taking away the jobs of
Iranians. Ms. Khomami compared the illegal Afghan
immigration issue to the American debate about illegal aliens
in the U.S. and said, "Afghans are taking jobs, but the jobs
they take are the ones Iranians don't want to do."


14. (C) Iraqi refugees have a better public perception,
neither seen as violent nor troublesome. Compared to
Afghans, Iraqis are better educated and have more money.
When UNHCR cannot find the funds to help Afghan refugees, it
will turn to NGOs that work with Iraqis that are awash in
cash.


15. (C) COMMENT: Despite the closeness in history and
language, Iran is closing its door to Afghanistan. Recent
legislation is aimed at making life impossible for illegal
Afghan aliens. For Iraqis, though, Iran presents itself as a
sanctuary for those seeking to escape the violence in their
streets. End Comment.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON