Austria Deports First Afghan Migrant Since 2021 Taliban Takeover

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has announced the deportation of an Afghan man convicted of serious crimes, marking the country’s first expulsion to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021. In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, October 29, Stocker confirmed the deportation to Kabul, noting it as a precedent since the fall of the republic in Afghanistan three years ago.

“Austria will not tolerate those who break the law,” he stated, emphasizing that individuals who have lost their residency due to criminal offenses will be deported.

“It doesn’t matter where these criminals come from—they must leave our country. Our duty is to protect the people of Austria, not to harbor criminals on our soil,” Stocker added. He also mentioned that the Austrian Ministry of the Interior is planning further deportations to ensure domestic security.

This move comes as several European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, and 20 other EU member states, have called on the European Commission to establish legal frameworks to facilitate the return of undocumented Afghan migrants—with or without cooperation from the Taliban authorities.

Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, most European countries had suspended forced deportations to the country due to security and human rights concerns. However, lifting these restrictions without formally recognizing the Taliban regime is widely viewed as a de facto collaboration with an unrecognized government—raising serious questions about the West’s commitment to human rights values.