Germany returns 22 Afghan asylum seekers with criminal records to Kabul
German media have reported that Germany has returned 22 Afghan asylum seekers with criminal records to Kabul on a chartered flight. Germany’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday, September 1, that the men were transferred to the Afghan capital on a special flight.
According to the ministry, those deported had been accused or convicted in Germany of crimes including murder, attempted premeditated murder, robbery, extortion involving violence, causing grievous bodily harm and arson. The ministry did not release further details about the identities of those returned.
The move has been described as the third round of returns of Afghan nationals in recent weeks. Earlier, on August 25, about 30 Afghan citizens were sent from Leipzig airport to Kabul in an operation that, according to reports, included some people with no criminal record.
As this process continued, it was also reported a few days later that a three-member Taliban delegation travelled to Germany after receiving 30-day visas from Germany’s diplomatic mission in Qatar. Germany has stressed, however, that its contacts with the Taliban administration are at a technical level and do not amount to recognition of the group as Afghanistan’s government.
Deutsche Welle reported that Germany has so far returned about 250 Afghan nationals to Afghanistan, most of whom had criminal records. The process comes as a number of European countries also step up efforts to deport rejected asylum seekers and foreign nationals convicted of crimes.
Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan and in recent years has become one of the main destinations for the forced return of Afghan citizens from Europe. The issue of deporting Afghan asylum seekers, especially after the Taliban’s return to power, has remained a sensitive topic in Europe’s migration policy.
