The plight of rejected Afghan asylum seekers

Sitting in an underground coffee shop in the heart of Kabul, Akhtar tried to describe the dreams and hopes he had held for the future, but was overcome with tears.

An Afghan woman holds her baby while she walks with others migrants and refugees near the Greek village of Idomeni.

"My parents had sent me here to get an education with a hundred hopes …" he said as he buried his head in his hands, weeping. He had big plans - with a visa in hand, he was about to take off for Iran the following week. Akhtar is educated, with a degree in economics and a job, but he said he had no choice but to leave everything behind.


He had travelled here from Ghazni Province, roughly 120km southwest of Kabul - a hub of Taliban activity. Back home, the Taliban had been hounding him for a while, Akhtar told. They gave him two options: work for them or get a job - not one involving the media or foreigners - and hand over his earnings.

It's a common and effective tactic, he said, adding that he worries for his family back home. Akhtar hadn't told his family he was leaving, afraid it would put them at risk.

The 23-year-old was too concerned for his safety to reveal his real name. The road ahead is treacherous. Akhtar won't stay in Tehran longer than a couple of days before heading for Europe. He hopes to make it to Germany where he has some friends and two cousins.

He'll have to pay thousands of dollars in borrowed funds to smugglers to reach Turkey. If he doesn't get deported from Iran or shot at the border, from Turkey he'll have a deadly, watery traverse to Greece, during which over 400 people have already died this year alone.

"I'm worried, but I'm not scared. The fear I feel here is far worse," said Akhtar. "There, I hope to grow, to continue my studies, even if they knock me back a couple of years. I want to work to help my family," he said.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Afghans make up the second-largest group of asylum seekers in Europe now - Syrians remain the largest.

Yet, there is no guarantee Akhtar will make it even as far as Turkey - roughly 3 000 Afghans leave for Turkey through Iran every day, of which 2 000 are sent back, according to Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Returnees (MoRR).

'I'm still a human being'
Data from Afghanistan's Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation indicates that a total of 544 016 Afghans returned voluntarily or were deported from Iran in 2015 - a notable increase from 306 392 the previous year.

Mohammad was one among the thousands to be deported back to Afghanistan. He also did not want to use his full name for security reasons. The 28-year-old told Al Jazeera that he had been unemployed for nearly three years, and about six months ago, he had reached a point of desperation and decided to leave the country.

He borrowed money from his brother in hopes of making it to Europe. According to Afghanistan's Central Statistics Organisation, the unemployment rate in Afghanistan spiked by 15% between February 2015 and February 2016, raising the rate of the jobless to about 40%.

Mohammad, who is an artist by training, did not limit his job search to the arts, but despite his efforts, he was unable to find work like many young men of his age. He is left demoralised and disappointed. "I've studied and trained for years, and it's all been for nothing. If I can't sell my paintings, what's the point? Without an income, it's all a waste," said Mohammad.

He was first deported back to Afghanistan upon his first attempt to cross Iran, around five months ago. Three months ago, he returned to Iran by climbing over a border wall at Nimruz. He traversed Iran travelling in cramped vehicles driven by human smugglers, shoved in the undercarriage of a bus.

 He was even beaten by the smugglers. But, ultimately, the Iranian authorities arrested him and sent him back. "An Iranian cop would think nothing of kicking me and calling me 'a piece of Afghan filth'," Mohammad said. He recognised that travelling illegally put him at some risk, "But I'm still a human being," he said.

 "We may be Afghan, but even we know we have some rights in this world."
His second attempt drove him mad and that he "just can't face that again".
"I'm not going to try and leave again," Mohammad said.