Germany presses ahead with deportations to Afghanistan

Germany presses ahead with deportations to Afghanistan

Germany had stopped deportations to Afghanistan after the Taliban movement's return to power in 2021

Germany said Friday it had deported 81 Afghan men convicted of crimes to their Taliban-controlled homeland, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government looks to signal a hard line on immigration.

Europe's top economy had stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban movement's return to power in 2021.

But Berlin resumed expulsions last year when the previous government of Social Democrat (SPD) chancellor Olaf Scholz expelled 28 convicted Afghans, drawing criticism from the United Nations and rights groups.

With the new deportations, Germany was forging ahead with a "policy change", said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who was also hosting several European counterparts for a migration meeting.

"Deportations to Afghanistan must continue to be carried out safely in the future. There is no right of residence for serious criminals in our country," he said.

Qatar helped to carry out Friday's deportations, said the interior ministry.

Germany had some "technical contacts" with the Taliban government in Kabul that were necessary to carry out the expulsions, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on a visit to France.

Wadephul stressed there would however be "no expansion of relations and no recognition of the regime" in Afghanistan, adding that "there is no reason for that at this point in time". 

- 'Immediate halt' -

In the wake of the announcement, the UN said no one should be sent back to Afghanistan, whatever their status.

The UN human rights commissioner called for an "immediate halt to the forcible return of all Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers", highlighting the risks faced by returnees.

Amnesty International criticised the deportations, saying the situation in Afghanistan was "catastrophic" and that "extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and torture are commonplace".

Merz defended the expulsions, saying he was "grateful" to be able to deliver on a promise he had made when entering government.

None of those deported "had a residence status anymore. All asylum applications were legally rejected without further legal recourse", he said at a press conference. 

"This is why this deportation and this flight were possible."

Bavaria state's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said 15 of the Afghans deported came from his southern state, where they were incarcerated for crimes including murder and manslaughter, sexual offences, causing serious bodily harm and property crimes. 

Another state, Baden-Wuerttemberg, said 13 Afghans deported from there had been jailed for crimes including homicide, bodily harm, drug offences and serious arson.

The deportations were among a number of "corrections" made to immigration policy by the government, Merz said, including tightening border controls and limiting family reunification rights for some refugees.

Merz however said policing Germany's borders was only a "temporary" fix and a durable solution was needed at the European level.

- 'Tougher and stricter' -

Interior Minister Dobrindt met his Austrian, Danish, Czech, French and Polish counterparts, as well as European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner, in southern Germany on Friday to discuss migration policy.

The European immigration system needed to be "made tougher and stricter", Dobrindt said following the gathering.

Among the measures discussed were the establishment of "return hubs" outside the EU, where immigrants could be held temporarily, Dobrindt said.

Germany's government, a coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD, has promised to expel more foreign criminals alongside a crackdown on irregular migration in response to the rise of far right.

As well as carrying out deportations to Afghanistan, Dobrindt has said he was in contact with the new authorities in Damascus to enable deportations to Syria, which have been suspended since 2012.

Longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December, and the country is now under the control of Islamist leaders, some of whom were once linked with the Al-Qaeda jihadist network.

burs-sea/fz/sbk