US Federal Court Temporarily Halts Transfer of Detained Afghans to Pakistan and Afghanistan
A federal court in New York on Tuesday temporarily halted the transfer of Afghans detained in the United States to Pakistan or Afghanistan. The decision followed widespread protests from human rights organizations and members of the US Congress who warned of the risk of torture, abuse, and threats to the lives of these individuals.
Judge Valerie Caproni ordered US authorities to prevent the transfer of these Afghans before Saturday. Prior to this ruling, the US Department of Homeland Security had stated that it had no plans to transfer the individuals to Pakistan or Afghanistan by the end of the week.
However, obtained documents reveal that the US government intended to transfer some Afghans from detention centers in Louisiana to Pakistan. Additionally, more than 65 members of Congress sent a letter to the US Secretaries of State and Homeland Security warning about the negative consequences of returning these individuals and describing it as a serious threat to their lives.
Refugee support organizations reported that following initial announcements about transfers to Pakistan, over 80 detained Afghans contacted these groups. These individuals include women, a police officer, members of religious minorities, and those with family members who have previously served in the US military.
In response, Zia Ahmad Takal, Deputy Spokesperson of the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed serious concern from the government and called on the United States to respect the legitimate rights of Afghans in related decision-making. He emphasized that third countries do not have the right to decide the fate of a country’s citizens without considering their rights.
Human rights organizations have warned that returning these individuals to Afghanistan could expose them to arbitrary detention, execution, public torture, and retaliatory violence.
Sean Vandiver, head of the Afghan Evacuee Foundation, described the court ruling as a temporary situation and stated that efforts to support the security of detained Afghans in the US continue.
