BERLIN: Interior Minister of Germany’s Nancy Faeser, has announced plans to accelerate the deportation of Afghan asylum seekers, after the recent repatriation of 28 Afghans.
Faeser, speaking to German media, confirmed that additional deportations to Afghanistan are expected in the near future.
The deportation in August saw the first return of Afghan migrants since the Taliban took over Afghanistan again.
The group of asylum was sent on a Qatar Airways flight as part of a wide effort to deport asylum seekers deemed “offenders” by German authorities. Faeser also said that Germany is also considering the possibility of deporting Syrian asylum seekers with criminal records.
The decision of the German government has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates. Human Rights Watch denounced the deportations, adding that the conditions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule are too dangerous for returns.
The organization’s report termed the human rights situation in Afghanistan as catastrophic, marked by public floggings, widespread abuses, and severe restrictions on women’s rights.
Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, also expressed strong opposition to the policy, criticizing European governments for attempting to deport Afghan migrants despite worsening conditions in Afghanistan. Julia Duchrow, Amnesty International’s Secretary General in Germany, described the deportations as “political theater” tied to the election and blamed the government for violating international obligations.
“All people have human rights, and no one should be deported to a country where they risk torture or persecution,” Duchrow said in a statement.
The German government has said that it is acting within its legal rights, but as international pressure increases, questions persist about the safety and legality of deporting asylum seekers to Afghanistan.
