Afghan protesters set fire to the entrance of the Iranian consulate in Herat

A group of Afghan protesters, protesting the "mistreatment of Afghan immigrants in Iran," set fire to the entrance of the Iranian consulate in Herat on Monday, April 12.

At the same time, a group of protesters gathered in front of the Iranian embassy in Kabul on Monday and chanted slogans against the Islamic Republic.

Reports indicate that these gatherings were dispersed by Taliban aerial fire.

Images posted on social media show stone-throwing, burning tires, breaking security cameras at Iranian diplomatic sites, and setting fire to the entrance of the Iranian consulate in Herat.

AFP reported that the protests took place after a video of Iranian police beating Afghan migrants was posted on social media, and protesters chanted "Death to Iran" in front of the Iranian consulate in Herat.

The report reported an increase in the number of Afghan refugees in Iran to five million after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.

The report says: In one video, Iranian police beat an Afghan immigrant in a room, and in another video, a group of people throw an Afghan immigrant to the ground and beat him.

The AFP news agency says the origin and location of these incidents are still unknown.

On the other hand, in recent days, the fine for employing unauthorized foreign nationals in Iran has also increased sharply, an issue that has fueled concerns about the livelihoods of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

Also, after the incident of a knife attack on three Iranian students in Mashhad by an Uzbek citizen, a number of Afghan immigrants reported increased harassment in Iran.

In this context, Radio Azadi reported that a number of civil society activists held a protest rally in front of the Iranian embassy in Kabul and demanded an end to the "mistreatment of Afghans in Iran."

These protesting civil activists called the "recent mistreatment of Afghans by the Iranian police" a "blatant violation of human rights."

One protester and civil society activist, who did not want to be named, told Radio Azadi: "These Afghans should be asked, what are human rights? To shout that it is the world, it is Islamic countries, those same Islamic countries have become a scourge on our lives today. Those who committed these crimes must be brought to justice and punished."

A women's protest was also scheduled to be held in Kabul today, but it was canceled for unknown reasons.

Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's acting foreign minister, and Hamid Karzai, former Afghan president, met with the Iranian ambassador in Kabul.

The Taliban Foreign Ministry statement said that Mr. Muttaqi, in a meeting with Bahadur Aminian, the Iranian ambassador to Kabul, shared his concerns about the "bad treatment of Afghans in Iran" and called for these actions to be prevented.

The statement quoted the Iranian ambassador as saying: "After two clerics were stabbed to death and one person was injured in the holy shrine of Imam Reza, some hostile groups, in a planned conspiracy, launched negative propaganda in the media with the aim of creating hatred and distrust among the people of friendly and neighboring countries."

The statement said that the Iranian ambassador to Kabul also said that "his government does not intend to mistreat Afghan refugees and will always strive to maintain close and trustworthy relations between the two countries."

On the other hand, Hamid Karzai also met with the Iranian ambassador in his office and discussed bilateral relations and the recent unrest.

A statement from Mr. Karzai's office said that the two sides emphasized good relations and mutual respect.

Saeed Khatibzada, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced on Monday, in response to the gatherings in front of Iranian diplomatic sites, that maintaining and protecting the security of diplomatic sites is the sole responsibility of the Afghan governing body (Taliban).

He added: "Some clips and comments are being published with the aim of Iranophobia or Afghanistanophobia, which aim to incite the emotions of the people of the two countries and require greater vigilance from the people and officials of the two countries."

Source: Radio Farda