Badakhshan – Naji Bigzad, a young Afghan writer and activist, died in an accident while working at a gold mine in Shaki District of Badakhshan Province. He was buried in his hometown on Thursday.
Following the political changes in 2021 and the Taliban’s return to power, Bigzad migrated to Iran in search of a new life. He initially lived there alone before his family joined him after enduring significant hardship and traveling through irregular routes.
The family spent more than three years in Iran, facing economic hardship, uncertain legal status, and numerous challenges commonly experienced by Afghan migrants. Eventually, these circumstances forced them to return to Afghanistan.
In posts published on social media, Bigzad wrote extensively about migration and life in Iran, describing the daily struggles faced by Afghan migrants. In one post last year, he criticized the cold and sometimes humiliating treatment of Afghan migrants, describing the experience as “unexpected and deeply painful.”
He also wrote that the psychological and social pressures of life in exile can become so overwhelming that, for some migrants, returning to Afghanistan—despite insecurity and restrictions—appears more bearable than remaining in a foreign country.
His death comes at a time when many returnees from neighboring countries, due to the lack of employment opportunities, are forced to undertake dangerous jobs, including work in mines.
