Afghan Canadian fears mother may be sent back into Taliban's hands after they nearly killed her
Noorullah Hakemi, who lives in Ottawa and came to Canada in 2019, said his mother, Bibi Khatoon Yaqoubi, 57, remains in danger because the authoritarian government in Tajikistan has ordered the deportation of Afghan refugees.
"She is living in a good condition for now from the health perspective, but it's not a good condition from the safety perspective," Hakemi told CBC News.
He served as an adviser in the Afghan government before the Taliban took power.
"There is huge human rights violation [in Tajikistan]. They're arresting people, they're beating people, they're torturing people," said Hakemi.
English-language media reports from the region in June said that authorities in Tajikistan had launched sweeping immigration raids targeting Afghan refugees.
Rafi Ferdous, a founding member of the Afghanistan-Canada Council, said an estimated 3,000 Afghan refugees in Tajikistan were awaiting the processing of their sponsored refugee cases to come to Canada. He said Ottawa needs to prioritize these cases.
"We want the government [of Canada] to process the cases waiting in Tajikistan," said Ferdous.
Ottawa trying to 'protect' refugees destined for Canada
Canada allows community groups, organizations, corporations and groups of citizens to bring in refugees through a sponsorship program. Under the program, sponsors are responsible for providing refugees with living and financial support, and help them find work and arrange for schooling.
Throughout the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, Tajikistan was one of the main corridors Afghan refugees used to travel to Canada. The country has traditionally been hostile toward the Taliban, said Ferdous.
"They [the Tajikistan government] changed their behaviour …and this is new and this is kind of strange," he said.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in an emailed statement to CBC News that it was "deeply concerned about reports" of Afghan refugee deportations by Tajikistan authorities.
The statement said the government was working with the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to liaise with authorities in Tajikistan to "protect and support Afghans destined for resettlement in Canada."
WATCH | Canada denies permit for Afghan refugee facing deportation from U.S.:
Global Affairs Canada said in an emailed statement that Canada does not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan and that the group remains listed as a terrorist entity.
The statement said Canada was monitoring the treatment of Afghan refugees in Tajikistan, as well as in Pakistan and Iran.
Helen Thibault, an associate professor of political science at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, said there may be several factors behind the Tajikistan's government decision to send Afghan refugees back into the arms of a Taliban government they have historically opposed.
Thibault said Tajikistan may be following the lead of Russia, which has recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate rulers.
"Whenever Russia does something, Tajikistan is one of the first countries of Central Asia to follow," she said.
'Copycat effect'
The Tajikistan government may also be feeling a strain on resources from hosting about 10,000 Afghan refugees in a small country, she said. The majority of refugees are in the poorer, more rural southern region that borders Afghanistan, said Thibeault.
"It could be that Tajikistan is seeing what is happening in the U.S. and says, 'Oh, well, you know, this is an acceptable practice now. We can deport anybody that is allegedly violating our migration laws.' It's like a copycat effect," she said.
For Hakemi, the motives don't change the fear he faces every day knowing his mother could be grabbed and deported back to a country under a regime that nearly took her life.
"Of course I'm afraid, she is not where she is supposed to be," he said. 'Where she is living is not stable. If she goes back to Afghanistan, I don't know what will happen with the Taliban there."
Hakemi said his mother's sponsorship was arranged through an Afghan women's immigration group in Toronto.
He said his mother fled to Tajikistan in December 2024 after recovering from a beating at the hands of Taliban officials that left her with two fractured legs and a fractured left hand, along with other injuries, according to a report submitted to Canadian immigration officials that included medical records and photographs.
She was dragged into the street, whipped and beaten in front of a crowd during Aug. 15, 2024, celebrations marking the Taliban's return to power, according to the report.
"There were two other women. I told them that the Taliban are murderers and all that," said Yaquobi in an audio statement she recorded for CBC News describing her ordeal.
"Those women told the Taliban what I said. The Taliban pulled me out of the car and beat me. I was unconscious and ended up in the hospital … When I regained consciousness, I realized my arms and legs were broken."
Yaquobi's case has been filed with the office of Richard Bennett, the UN's special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan.
Bennett's office did not respond to a CBC request for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
a minute ago
- Associated Press
Trump administration calls out human rights records of some nations accepting deported migrants
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday released human rights reports for countries worldwide, which eliminate mentions of discrimination faced by LGBTQ people, reduce a previous focus on reproductive rights and criticize restrictions on political speech by U.S. allies in Europe that American officials believe target right-wing politicians. The reports, which cover 2024 before President Donald Trump took office, reflect his administration's focus on free speech and protecting the lives of the unborn. However, the reports also offer a glimpse into the administration's view of dire human rights conditions in some countries that have agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States under Trump's immigration crackdown. 'This year's reports were streamlined for better utility and accessibility in the field and by partners,' the State Department said. The congressionally mandated reports in the past have been frequently used for reference and cited by lawmakers, policymakers, academic researchers and others investigating potential asylum claims or looking into conditions in specific countries. The reports were delayed by the Trump administration's changes The reports had been due to be released in March. The State Department said in an overview that the delay occurred because the Trump administration decided in March to 'adjust' the reports, which had been compiled during the Biden administration. Among other deletions, the reports do not include accounts from individual abuse survivors or witnesses. 'Frequently, eyewitnesses are intimidated or prevented from reporting what they know,' the overview said. 'On the other hand, individuals and groups opposed to a government may have incentive to exaggerate or fabricate abuses. In similar fashion, some governments may distort or exaggerate abuses attributed to opposition groups.' Human rights groups decried the changes in focus and omissions of certain categories of discrimination and potential abuse. The new reports 'reveal a disturbing effort by the Trump administration to purposefully fail to fully capture the alarming and growing attacks on human rights in certain countries around the globe,' Amnesty International said in a statement. The reports do follow previous practices in criticizing widespread human rights abuses in China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. Laying out the poor human rights records of countries accepting migrant deportees Although such deportations did not begin until after Trump took office, the reports, with one notable exception, detail general poor human rights conditions in many of the countries that have agreed to accept migrants, even if they are not citizens of that nation. The exception is El Salvador, which was the first of several countries in Latin America and Africa to agree to accept non-citizen migrant deportees from the U.S. Despite claims from rights advocates to the contrary, the report about the country says 'there were no credible reports of significant human rights abuses' in El Salvador in 2024 and that 'the government took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.' Human rights groups have accused authorities of abuses, including at a notorious prison where many migrants are sent. However, for Eswatini — a small country in Africa formerly known as Swaziland — South Sudan and Rwanda, the reports paint a grimmer picture. All have agreed to accept third-country deportees from the United States. In all three countries, the reports noted 'significant human rights issues included credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment … serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, prohibiting independent trade unions or significant or systematic restrictions on workers' freedom of association.' Those governments 'did not take credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses,' the reports said. Singling out the treatment of white South Africans South Africa was also singled out for its human rights situation 'significantly worsening.' The report pointed to unfair treatment of white Afrikaners following the signing of major land reforms that the Trump administration has said discriminate against that minority, which ran the country's apartheid government. That system brutally enforced racial segregation, which oppressed the Black majority, for 50 years before ending in 1994. With the signing of that law in December, the report said that 'South Africa took a substantially worrying step towards land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities in the country.' It also said the government 'did not take credible steps to investigate, prosecute and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, including inflammatory racial rhetoric against Afrikaners and other racial minorities, or violence against racial minorities.' This year, the administration admitted as refugees some groups of white Afrikaners. Accusations of European allies restricting right-wing speech The reports take issue with what the Trump administration believes are restrictions on free speech imposed against generally right-wing voices in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The reports use identical language to say that human rights conditions in each of the three NATO allies 'worsened during the year.' The executive summaries for each of the three reports say 'significant human rights issues included credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.' These governments have rejected such assertions that have been made by senior U.S. officials, including Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Targeting Brazil over allegations of restricting Bolsonaro's speech Similar freedom-of-speech issues were raised in Brazil, which has more recently provoked Trump's ire by prosecuting his ally — former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro — and led to the imposition of massive U.S. tariffs and sanctions against Brazil's Supreme Court chief justice. 'The human rights situation in Brazil declined during the year,' the report said. 'The courts took broad and disproportionate action to undermine freedom of speech and internet freedom by blocking millions of users' access to information on a major social media platform in response to a case of harassment.' It added that the government 'undermined democratic debate by restricting access to online content deemed to undermine democracy' and specifically mentioned suppressing the speech of Bolsonaro and his supporters.
Wall Street Journal
a minute ago
- Wall Street Journal
State Department Issues Human-Rights Report Reflecting Trump Priorities
The State Department released a long-delayed human rights report highlighting the Trump administration's foreign policy priorities, escalating criticism of U.S. allies in Europe for perceived restrictions on freedom of expression while cutting sections on LGBTQ rights and government corruption. Political appointees at the State Department changed how the report has traditionally been written and edited, current and former officials said, adding the administration's views on conditions in countries including Brazil and South Africa and tempering criticisms of El Salvador, a key partner in Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.
Washington Post
a minute ago
- Washington Post
Trump administration calls out human rights records of some nations accepting deported migrants
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday released human rights reports for countries worldwide, which eliminate mentions of discrimination faced by LGBTQ people , reduce a previous focus on reproductive rights and criticize restrictions on political speech by U.S. allies in Europe that American officials believe target right-wing politicians. The reports, which cover 2024 before President Donald Trump took office, reflect his administration's focus on free speech and protecting the lives of the unborn. However, the reports also offer a glimpse into the administration's view of dire human rights conditions in some countries that have agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States under Trump's immigration crackdown. 'This year's reports were streamlined for better utility and accessibility in the field and by partners,' the State Department said. The congressionally mandated reports in the past have been frequently used for reference and cited by lawmakers, policymakers, academic researchers and others investigating potential asylum claims or looking into conditions in specific countries. The reports had been due to be released in March. The State Department said in an overview that the delay occurred because the Trump administration decided in March to 'adjust' the reports, which had been compiled during the Biden administration. Among other deletions, the reports do not include accounts from individual abuse survivors or witnesses. 'Frequently, eyewitnesses are intimidated or prevented from reporting what they know,' the overview said. 'On the other hand, individuals and groups opposed to a government may have incentive to exaggerate or fabricate abuses. In similar fashion, some governments may distort or exaggerate abuses attributed to opposition groups.' Human rights groups decried the changes in focus and omissions of certain categories of discrimination and potential abuse. The new reports 'reveal a disturbing effort by the Trump administration to purposefully fail to fully capture the alarming and growing attacks on human rights in certain countries around the globe,' Amnesty International said in a statement. The reports do follow previous practices in criticizing widespread human rights abuses in China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. Although such deportations did not begin until after Trump took office, the reports, with one notable exception, detail general poor human rights conditions in many of the countries that have agreed to accept migrants, even if they are not citizens of that nation. The exception is El Salvador, which was the first of several countries in Latin America and Africa to agree to accept non-citizen migrant deportees from the U.S. Despite claims from rights advocates to the contrary , the report about the country says 'there were no credible reports of significant human rights abuses' in El Salvador in 2024 and that 'the government took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.' Human rights groups have accused authorities of abuses , including at a notorious prison where many migrants are sent . However, for Eswatini — a small country in Africa formerly known as Swaziland — South Sudan and Rwanda , the reports paint a grimmer picture. All have agreed to accept third-country deportees from the United States. In all three countries, the reports noted 'significant human rights issues included credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment … serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, prohibiting independent trade unions or significant or systematic restrictions on workers' freedom of association.' Those governments 'did not take credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses,' the reports said. South Africa was also singled out for its human rights situation 'significantly worsening.' The report pointed to unfair treatment of white Afrikaners following the signing of major land reforms that the Trump administration has said discriminate against that minority, which ran the country's apartheid government. That system brutally enforced racial segregation, which oppressed the Black majority, for 50 years before ending in 1994. With the signing of that law in December, the report said that 'South Africa took a substantially worrying step towards land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities in the country.' It also said the government 'did not take credible steps to investigate, prosecute and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, including inflammatory racial rhetoric against Afrikaners and other racial minorities, or violence against racial minorities.' This year, the administration admitted as refugees some groups of white Afrikaners. The reports take issue with what the Trump administration believes are restrictions on free speech imposed against generally right-wing voices in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The reports use identical language to say that human rights conditions in each of the three NATO allies 'worsened during the year.' The executive summaries for each of the three reports say 'significant human rights issues included credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.' These governments have rejected such assertions that have been made by senior U.S. officials, including Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Similar freedom-of-speech issues were raised in Brazil, which has more recently provoked Trump's ire by prosecuting his ally — former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro — and led to the imposition of massive U.S. tariffs and sanctions against Brazil's Supreme Court chief justice . 'The human rights situation in Brazil declined during the year,' the report said. 'The courts took broad and disproportionate action to undermine freedom of speech and internet freedom by blocking millions of users' access to information on a major social media platform in response to a case of harassment.' It added that the government 'undermined democratic debate by restricting access to online content deemed to undermine democracy' and specifically mentioned suppressing the speech of Bolsonaro and his supporters.
