Until now, the rule was that only convicted criminals were deported from Germany to Afghanistan. That is no longer the case. At the end of July, for the first time, a man with no criminal record was put on a flight to Kabul. This has drawn fierce criticism—including from the opposition and the human rights organizations Amnesty International and Pro Asyl.
31 Afghan Men on the Flight to Kabul
The nighttime charter flight from Leipzig/Halle to Afghanistan carried 31 men—including one who was required to leave the country. He is accused of having sought shelter in another European country but then returning to Germany. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) defended this deportation operation.
In the future, it may not only affect criminals
Since the CDU/CSU and SPD coalition has been in power, more than 200 Afghans have already been deported. In the future, it could also affect adult, single Afghans who are required to leave the country and who, according to Dobrindt’s statement to the press, have so far shown “no effort toward integration.” Around 45,000 Afghans live in Germany; according to media reports, slightly more than 15,000 are required to leave the country.
Criticism: Human Rights Are Being Violated
The criticism is fierce. A representative of the Green Party spoke of a “dirty deal” with the Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan. “Germany’s disastrous collusion with the Taliban is a moral bankruptcy,” declared Helene Rezene, the executive director of Pro Asyl. Amnesty International rejects all deportations to Afghanistan as a violation of human rights. No one should be sent back to a country “where they face persecution, arbitrary detention, or other serious human rights violations,” according to a press release on the organization’s website.
Further information:
Federal Ministry of the Interior: https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/schwerpunkte/DE/migration-dobrindt/migration-dobrindt-schwerpunkt.html
Pro Asyl: https://www.proasyl.de/pressemitteilung/pro-asyl-zu-abschiebungen-nach-afghanistan/
Amnesty International: https://www.amnesty.de/pressemitteilung/deutschland-abschiebung-faridoon-tofan-afghanistan-stoppen
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