RSF: Deportation of Afghan Journalists from Pakistan Is a Gross Violation of Human Rights Commitments
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned that Pakistan’s restrictive visa policies and forced deportations are putting dozens of Afghan journalists at risk of being sent back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan — where they face a direct threat of torture, arrest, and reprisals.
According to RSF, since the beginning of 2025, 13 Afghan journalists under the organization’s protection in Pakistan have been deported to Afghanistan while their applications for resettlement to third countries were still being processed. The organization also reported a rise in visa rejections by France for Afghan journalists living in Pakistan.
One deported journalist, forced to return to Afghanistan, told RSF:
“On the night of March 31, after the Eid al-Fitr holiday, at around 1 a.m., Pakistani police raided our home. They took our clothes, documents, and all belongings, and beat me, my wife, and my children. Then they forced us into a vehicle and drove us away.”
A recent United Nations report titled No Safe Haven, released in late July, identified deported journalists as among the groups facing severe risk of retaliatory measures and human rights abuses by Taliban authorities. The UN estimates that in 2025, about three million Afghan nationals, mostly from Pakistan and Iran, will be forced to return, with around 100 journalists expected to be among them from Pakistan alone.
Since the fall of Kabul in 2021, RSF has assisted 654 Afghan journalists, 86% of whom have fled the country. With RSF’s support, 169 have resettled in France, and some continue their media work through initiatives such as Voices in Exile.
