
Trapped in Iran: Afghan refugees face new crisis – DW – 06/19/2025
The impact of the conflict between Iran and Israel is being felt by Afghans both inside their homeland and across the border in Iran. The fighting is exacerbating the already dire conditions in Afghanistan, where prices for Iranian-imported goods have surged, putting its frail economy under further strain. Meanwhile, millions of Afghan refugees in Iran — who once fled in search of safety and a better life — are now facing renewed uncertainty and pressure from officials as the armed conflict escalates.
"We have no place to live," Afghan refugee Rahela Rasa told DW.
"Our freedom of movement has been stripped from us. We're harassed, insulted, and abused," she added.
Afghans' lives go from bad to worse
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that nearly 4.5 million Afghan nationals currently reside in Iran. Other sources suggest the actual number could be much higher. Iran had taken steps to deport thousands of Afghans in recent years. However, many new refugees continue to arrive seeking employment or refuge from the Taliban regime.
In the years following the US withdrawal in 2021, the Taliban have dismantled the media and civil society, targeted former Afghan security personnel and imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, banning them from work and education.
At the same time, conditions have also deteriorated for Afghans living in Iran. The refugees are only allowed to buy food at highly inflated prices and are banned from leaving Tehran.
Tehran gridlocked as thousands try to flee Israeli strikes
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A refugee told DW she couldn't buy formula for her baby.
"Everywhere I go, they refuse to sell it to me because I don't have proper documents," she said, requesting anonymity.
'My heart is broken'
With Afghans in Iran seeing bombs flying overhead, their new country no longer offers even a semblance of safety. And some of them have already lost their lives in the fighting.
DW spoke to Abdul Ghani from Afghanistan's Ghor province, whose 18-year-old son Abdul Wali recently completed school and moved to Iran to support his family.
"On Monday, I spoke to my son and asked him to send us some money," said Ghani. "Last night, his employer called to inform me he had been killed in an attack."
"My heart is broken. My son is gone."
No way home for many Afghans
Returning to Afghanistan is not a viable option for most Afghan refugees, who fear persecution under the Taliban regime. A former member of Afghanistan's security forces, speaking anonymously, said he lives in constant fear.
"We cannot return to Afghanistan. The Taliban would prosecute us," he said.
Mohammad Omar Dawoodzai, former Afghan interior minister and ambassador to Iran under the previous government, says the international community must act to protect former Afghan officials and civil servants who may be forced to return to Afghanistan if the Israel-Iran conflict drags on.
Fear deepens in Tehran as Israel targets Iran's capital
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"I am particularly concerned about former military and government employees who fled to Iran after the Taliban takeover," said Dawoodzai. "The international community must hold the Taliban accountable and ensure returnees are not subjected to persecution."
Migrants rights advocate urges refugees to stay put
Amid the growing chaos, human smuggling networks appear to be exploiting the desperation of Afghan refugees. Rumors have circulated suggesting that Turkey has opened its borders for passage.
But Ali Reza Karimi, a migrant rights advocate, dismissed the claims of open borders as false information spread by smugglers. He explained that due to suspended flights, the Turkish border is only open to Iranian citizens and travelers with valid passports and visas and remains closed to Afghan migrants. Karimi urged Afghan refugees not to fall for the smugglers' lies or walk into their traps.
"I've been informed that smugglers are telling refugees to head toward Turkey, claiming the borders are open. This creates yet another tragedy. They go there only to find the borders closed," Mohammad Omar Dawoodzai told DW.
He urged Afghan refugees in Iran to stay where they are for now, if possible.
"As much as they can, our people should remain where they are and wait patiently. And if, for any reason, they are forced to move, they should head toward the Afghan border — not Turkey," he stated.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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38 minutes ago
- DW
India's Maoist crackdown leaves villagers grieving – DW – 07/23/2025
India has vowed to crush the long-running Maoist-inspired Naxal insurgency by March 2026. In the jungles of Chhattisgarh, villagers are mourning those killed in the crossfire. On a rainy afternoon in Bodga, a remote village deep in the forests of Chhattisgarh, a state in central India, Sukli Oyam sits quietly on the mud porch of her thatched home. She holds a photograph of her 22-year-old son, Ramesh, who was killed last year in a crossfire between government forces and left-wing Maoist rebels, known as Naxals or Naxalites. The Naxals — named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where their armed campaign began nearly six decades ago — were inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. They follow a form of communism propagated by Mao, and have waged a guerrilla-style insurgency against the government, particularly in central and eastern India. Every time Oyam looks at her son's picture, her eyes fill with tears. The day he was killed is seared into her memory. Oyam recalled how her family had gathered to celebrate the christening of Ramesh's younger daughter. Ramesh, a millet farmer and the family's sole breadwinner, set out to his relatives' home to fetch a chicken for the evening feast. On the way, he stopped by the river to bathe. He never returned. On the riverbank, a bullet hit him, turning a day of joy into one of mourning, she said. "After my son's killing, we fear leaving our homes and my life has changed," 60-year-old Oyam told DW. "Now whenever the police enter our area, villagers like me hide inside their houses. During encounters, our life comes to a halt." "I demanded compensation from the government for my son's death, but there has been no response," Oyam lamented. Oyam's neighbour, Raje Ayam, recalled a similar encounter. She told DW that security forces stormed into her house last March after mistaking it for a Maoist hideout. She said she was shot in the back while feeding her child, the bullet narrowly missing her spinal cord. Raje described how other villagers rushed her to the hospital after they found her lying in a pool of blood. She survived her injuries — but a year later, she said that she still struggles. "After the injuries, my body isn't working. I'm not able to farm or go to the jungle for work," she told DW. "My body has been almost paralyzed by the injury and I'm barely able to walk. Whenever I go to the forest and see soldiers, I fear they might kill me." The Maoist insurgency has simmered deep inside India's forests for decades. It began in 1967 in Naxalbari, a small village in the Indian state of West Bengal on the east coast, as a Maoist-inspired rebellion advocating for land rights and social justice for marginalized tribal communities. Today, the Naxals claim to fight for the rights of India's indigenous communities, collectively known as Adivasis. Their goal is to overthrow the Indian state through armed struggle. Bastar, the region in Chhattisgarh where Bodga is located, has become heavily militarized. Since 2019, around 250 security camps have been set up in the area — part of a surge that has placed one armed personnel for every nine civilians, according to a 2024 report by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Foundation, a civil society organization. Security forces have intensified their operations in the forests of Bastar since last year. In early 2024, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Operation Black Forest (also called Operation Kagar) to wipe out the Maoist movement. Given the tough terrain of these vast jungles, large numbers of security personnel were deployed, along with advanced surveillance technologies and drones. The past two years have been the bloodiest period for Maoist insurgents in over a decade, with more than 400 Naxals killed in the Bastar region alone, according to the state's Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. Earlier this month, DW reporters followed the Special Task Force, known as the District Reserve Guards (DRG), on a patrol in the Bastar region. The operation was led by DRG sub-inspector Sanjay Paul. Their mission: to track down Maoists operating in the area. For Sanjay, carrying out operations in these jungles is complex and risky. He tells us the dense forests are the perfect hiding place for Naxal fighters to carry out ambushes. "The Naxal ideology poses a huge threat to us and to our country, we will not sleep till we finish it," Sanjay told DW. His words echo the stance of New Delhi. In February 2025, Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah lauded the security forces for successful operations and set a deadline for eliminating the Naxal movement. "I reassure the nation that by March 31, 2026, India will surely be Naxal-free," he said. As the heavy-handed approach tightens its grip on Bastar's forest villages, locals are left mourning their dead. Many told DW that the line between Naxal fighters and villagers has blurred. They accuse security forces of carrying out indiscriminate killings. Iytu Oyam, a bereaved father, from Komhu village in Narayanpur district, travelled to Bodga to meet us. He claimed that his son, Moto Oyam, was killed in a "fake encounter" by security forces last May while he was working on his farm. "I want to tell the world that my son was innocent. He was not a Naxal. What was his crime that he was killed?" he told DW. Activists and human rights lawyers have alleged that counter-insurgency operations have turned Bastar into a war zone where Adivasi communities, which make up most of the local population, live in constant fear from both sides. They claim there is a pattern of extrajudicial killings, often called "encounter killings," where police allegedly stage civilian deaths to look like combat fatalities. Reports by groups such as Human Rights Watch have also documented arbitrary detentions, forced displacement, and sexual violence by security forces. "They have turned Bastar region into a graveyard, where almost every family has a story of human loss," according to lawyer Bela Bhatia, who is supporting Adivasi people in their claims against the state. When we confronted DRG officer Sanjay Paul with these allegations, the police officer denied any deliberate targeting of civilians. "Sometimes it happens by mistake. During crossfires, civilians can die. But we do not kill civilians intentionally," he told DW. Decades of Maoist insurgency, Naxal violence, and state crackdowns have left nearly 12,000 people dead — including civilians, militants and security personnel, according to the latest figures from watchdog South Asia Terrorism Portal. For Sukli Oyam, sitting with her son's photograph, justice feels like a distant dream. "My son is gone," she said quietly. "The police didn't protect us. The Naxals who claim to fight for our rights didn't help us. We are just stuck in between."


DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Germany says Ukraine anti-corruption curbs 'hampers' EU path – DW – 07/23/2025
Germany's foreign minister said a law targeting the independence of anti-corruption agencies will make it harder for Ukraine to join the EU. The law triggered demos against the Ukrainian government. DW has Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told German news outlet that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's move to remove the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies hampers Ukraine's path to the EU membership. Zelenskyy has often expressed that one day he would like Ukraine to join the 27-member European Union. "The restrictions on the independence of the Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities hampers Ukraine's path to the EU," Wadephul said. "I expect Ukraine to continue its fight against corruption consistently." Zelenskyy signed off on legislation that would put the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct purview of Ukraine's prosecutor general. The Ukrainian prosecutor general was appointed by Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy's support of the legislation has sparked the first widespread anti-government demonstrations in Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. The Ukrainian leader met with Ukrainian anti-corruption and security agencies in a meeting on Wednesday. "We all hear what society says," Zelenskyy wrote on the social media platform Telegram, while pledging to "resolve existing issues." reported Wadephul spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Wednesday and urged the Ukrainian side to keep up anti-corruption efforts. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called for US President Donald Trump's administration to provide "watertight" assurances in regards to Patriot air-defense systems for Ukraine. Pistorius told German news outlet that Germany and its NATO allies need guarantees that US-manufactured Patriot systems delivered to Ukraine would be replaced within a timeframe of about six to eight months. Pistorius's comments come after Trump said European NATO countries could buy weapons from the US which could then be delivered for Ukraine to defend itself amid Russia's invasion. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The US is seeking for Germany and other European countries to send Patriot systems to Ukraine first from their own stocks. Then, the US would send replacement Patriot systems to European allies. This arrangement has led to concern from Germany as Pistorius told Spiegel its necessary that "the countries transferring systems continue to meet their NATO requirements and that no security gaps arise for NATO." Earlier this week, Germany said it would "contribute to providing" five Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine. Anne Applebaum is an award-winning historian, writer, and publicist. In an interview with DW, she shared her insights on Russian President Vladimir Putin's goals in Ukraine. She also explained what she thinks the West doesn't understand about Putin, and vice versa. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Russia said the direct talks in Istanbul later on Wednesday with Ukrainian officials will be "very difficult." "Indeed, our delegation has left for Istanbul, and talks are indeed scheduled for this evening... No one expects an easy road. It will be very difficult," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists, with French news agency AFP reporting on the comments. Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia is seeking to solidify its control over areas in eastern Ukraine, whereas Ukraine wants Russian troops to leave those regions and to stop the invasion to ensure peace. Ukraine's air force has lost one of its French Mirage fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, attributing the loss to technical failure. In a video message on X, Zelenskyy said the pilot had ejected safely and there were no injuries or fatalities from the incident. He also clarified that it was not caused by Russian forces. Meanwhile the Ukrainian Air Force said: "The pilot reported a failure of aviation equipment to the flight director. He then acted competently, as is expected in a crisis situation, and successfully ejected." The fighter jet was part of an undisclosed number of Mirages France delivered to Ukraine in February, an important addition to the war-ravaged nation's defenses against Russian drones and missiles. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that sanctioning Russian oil in a bid to end the war in Ukraine is a "very real possibility," while speaking to broadcaster Fox News. This comes after President Donald Trump said Washington could put 100% tariffs on Russian oil, among other sanctions, if Moscow does not agree on a peace deal with Ukraine before September. "It is huge pressure on Russia. That's the biggest pressure you can put on them," Wright said in the interview. The EU and the US already have some sanctions on Russian energy enterprises but Russia has managed to sell most of its oil via so-called 'shadow fleets' of oil tankers operating around the globe under other country's flags. Wright said a higher level of sanctions was now possible becasue the US has become the world's top producer of oil and gas. "We're able to do things that we couldn't do before," he said. China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao has registered "solemn representations" to his EU counterpart as the bloc included two Chinese banks in its latest round of sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. The objections were expressed in a "candid and in-depth" video call with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on Tuesday, Beijing said. The comments come a day before EU heads Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen will arrive in Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders over sensitive issues like trade and the war in Ukraine. China has called the sanctions on its banks "groundless" and lacking a basis in international law. China's economic relations with Moscow have deepened significantly since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, which Brussles believes is instrumental in supporting Russia's economy weather the war under sweeping western sanctions. China has denied the claim. Thousands of people gathered in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine late on Tuesday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a controversial bill to limit the autonomy of two anti-corruption bodies. The changes grant the prosecutor general new authority over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Critics, including some EU officials, say the move will significantly weaken the independence of the two agencies and give Zelenskyy's circle greater sway over investigations. "In effect, if this bill becomes law, the head of SAPO will become a nominal figure, while NABU will lose its independence and turn into a subdivision of the prosecutor general's office," the two agencies said in a joint statement on Telegram. Tuesday's protest was unusual as most other wartime rallies focused on securing the return of captured soldiers or missing people. The protesters held signs that read "Veto the law" and "Protect the anti-corruption system, protect Ukraine's future," among other slogans. "Corruption is a problem in any country, and it must always be fought," said Ihor Lachenkov, a blogger and activist who urged more than a million online followers to join the protests. "Ukraine has far fewer resources than Russia in this war," he said. "If we misuse them, or worse, allow them to end up in the pockets of thieves, our chances of victory diminish. All our resources must go toward the fight." Officials from Ukraine and Russia are set to meet for a third round of talks in Istanbul on Wednesday. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dampened expectations, saying the talks would likely focus on another round of prisoner of war swaps rather than details of a ceasefire. "We need more momentum in the negotiations to end the war," Zelenskyy told diplomats in Kyiv on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that "major diplomatic work" was still needed in order to negotiate a ceasefire. A key point of contention is Kyiv's calls for an unconditional ceasefire, as opposed to Russia maintaining its maximum demands that include the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the eastern regions of the country Moscow illegally annexed. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukrainian and Russian delegations are set to meet in Istanbul for a fresh round of ceasefire talks on Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the meeting would focus on exchanging prisoners of war rather than ending the conflict. Separately, Zelenskyy signed a new law restricting autonomy of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, sparking rare protests in Kyiv. Stay tuned for the latest news and analysis from the ongoing war.


DW
5 hours ago
- DW
German shadow economy booms amid high taxes and state aid – DW – 07/23/2025
While Germany's economy falters, the country is experiencing a rise in undeclared work. What role do taxes and generous state aid for the poor play in the surge? The German economy has been shrinking for more than two years, and 2025 offers only a slight glimmer of hope for an economic recovery. Surprisingly, the so-called shadow economy — encompassing all economic activity happening off the books — is surging. So what's behind the fact that the share of undeclared work has jumped to more than 11% of Germany's overall economic output in just one year? According to labor market expert Friedrich Schneider, who calculated this figure, the volume of undeclared work in 2024 was worth a total of €482 billion ($562 billion) — more than the entire government budget, and marking the highest level in nearly a decade. For 2025, the economist from Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria, projects a further rise to €511 billion, an increase of 6.1%. Schneider has been studying the phenomenon for over 40 years, and prefers to call it "shadow economy" rather than illegal work, he told DW. "[Undeclared] economic activities, like repairing a car or cleaning, are legal but they're carried out without paying taxes or social contributions," he said, adding that legal requirements such as minimum wage laws or working time limits are often ignored in the shadow economy. With a shadow economy share between 11% and 12% of gross domestic product (GDP), Germany ranks in the middle compared to other industrialized countries, according to Schneider, with Romania topping the list with around 30%, and Greece coming in second at about 22%. When calculating shadow economy output, Schneider compares the amount of cash in circulation with official economic output figures. But what's driving the increase in undeclared work in Germany, which is Europe's biggest economy? First of all, Schneider sees a growing perception in the population at large of paying too much in taxes and contributions to the social security system, while receiving poor public services in return. "In Germany, people increasingly notice that trains are unreliable, highways are full of crumbling bridges needing repair, leading to traffic jams and delays. When citizens feel they're getting poor public services in return for high taxes, their willingness to pay — their tax morale — goes down." So it's no surprise to him that many people resort to undeclared work, representing a kind "tax rebellion of the common man." The practice in Germany, however, cannot be described as large-scale tax evasion, he added, citing the example of a "teacher who gives private tutoring", or that of a tiler who renovates a bathroom "off the books." If the tax burden is high but the state offers excellent services in return, people do accept that, Schneider noted, "but in Germany, we face a situation where the tax burden is very high, yet the services provided by the state are often deeply unsatisfactory." Generally, the shadow economy is rising when unemployment rises, when there are fewer orders for companies, no more overtime for workers, and reduced shifts. "Then people think: 'I'm making less money from my official job, but I still want a vacation or a few extras.' And the simplest way to make up for the loss is through more under-the-table work," said Schneider — a pattern he saw emerging "again and again" during his 40 years of research. "When the economy struggles, the shadow economy thrives." Germany is currently in the midst of a heated debate over government support for the poor and long-term unemployed, known as "Bürgergeld" or citizen's income. Currently, the citizen's income for single adults who cannot work for various reasons amounts to €563 per month for living expenses, plus accommodation and health insurance that are paid by the state. Critics argue that the citizen's income encourages undeclared work — even more so as it was raised by more than 12% on January 1, 2024, which was above wage increases and the inflation level. Schneider has estimated that the increase prompted "between 88,000 to 100,000 people" to give up low-paid so-called mini-jobs, with workers there now "urgently needed." And while the shortage of skilled and unskilled labor in Germany is growing, the government spends more and more on social benefits, including the citizen's income. Expenditure for labor and social affairs already makes up more than a third of the total German national budget. Labor Minister Bärbel Bas expecting funding for citizen's income to reach nearly €52 billion in 2025 — about €5 billion more than the previous year. In broken down figures, some €29.6 billion go directly into income support for the roughly 5.64 million recipients, while another €13 billion are earmarked for rent and heating subsidies. The remaining €10 billion are planned for job integration measures and administrative costs. As the government is debating how to keep social costs in check, Labor Minister Bas has acknowledge that the scheme can attract criminal exploitation. In a recent interview for the German weekly magazine, she spoke of "mafia-like structures" in welfare fraud as exploitative networks would lure people from abroad, employ them illegally, and have them apply for income support at the same time. This blend of undeclared work and welfare fraud is something Markus Karbaum has often encountered. A job coach who has conducted numerous training sessions for citizen's income recipients in Berlin, Karbaum calls the combination of legal work, undeclared work, and welfare payments a "private supplemental income model." According to Karbaum, some employers offer workers too few hours to make ends meet. For example, in industries like hospitality, which are prone to under-the-table pay, "some of the income is earned in cash," he told DW. If that still doesn't cover basic living costs, employers would tell workers to "go get the rest from the job center," as citizen's income. These three elements — part-time or mini-job earnings, cash income, and welfare — are commonly combined, Karbaum noted. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video There's also an entitlement mentality among recipients, Karbaum says, as people would think "I have a right to citizen's income and social services, you can't take that away from me." Karbaum told DW that he's got to know recipients who would show up to job training in new cars, carrying the latest smartphones, and tell him that they "fly abroad for three-week family vacations once a year" — something technically allowed under German unemployment rules, but clearly outside the spirit of the system. Calling them "isolated cases," they would nevertheless be "a clear indicator of structural fraud," he added, and demands more cross-checking of personal data and better coordination between job centers and customs authorities, who are responsible for investigating undeclared work. Labor market expert Friedrich Schneider agrees, saying however that his 40 years of research had shown that a thriving German economy is the "most effective solution" to curb shadow economy activity. "When we're in a real [economic] boom, undeclared work declines."