New deportation flight to Afghanistan launched

For the second time since the radical Islamist Taliban seized power in August 2021, Germany has deported Afghan citizens to their country of origin. On Thursday morning, a plane carrying 81 men departed Leipzig Airport directly for Kabul.

According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, these are "Afghan men who are legally required to leave the country" and who have been convicted of "serious and very serious crimes." Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt ( CSU ) emphasized on the ARD "Morgenmagazin" program that there is a "completely legitimate interest of the citizens" in deportations of this kind.

The repatriation flight was carried out with the support of Qatar , as was the case with the last operation in August 2024.

Qatar facilitates repatriations

Contacts with the Taliban were maintained exclusively at a "technical level" through a liaison office in Qatar. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul ( CDU ) recently emphasized that the Islamist regime was internationally isolated due to massive human rights violations and was not recognized by Germany as a legitimate government.

Interior Minister Dobrindt wants to change this situation. At the beginning of July, he told the magazine "Focus" that he was seeking direct repatriation agreements with Afghanistan —a solution via third parties should not remain a permanent solution.

The United Nations refugee and human rights organizations reject the plans. Conditions on the ground are not yet suitable for repatriations, said Arafat Jamal, the representative of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Kabul at the time in response to Dobrindt's statements. UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani pointed to ongoing human rights violations in Afghanistan, such as executions and the oppression of women.

German human rights organizations also expressed concern. Pro Asyl called the deportation a "blatant violation of international law." Its spokeswoman, Wiebke Judith, emphasized that the Taliban practice brutal corporal punishment for violations of their moral code. Julia Duchrow of Amnesty International stated that extrajudicial executions and torture are part of everyday life in Afghanistan. " Human rights apply either to everyone or to no one."

Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter warned on ARD's "Morgenmagazin" of a "massive escalation of Islamist terror" due to the deportation flights. "Islamist terrorists are ruling Afghanistan," Hofreiter said.

Tens of thousands of Afghans required to leave the country

According to current figures from the German government, approximately 446,000 Afghans live in Germany. 11,423 of them are required to leave the country – 9,602 with a temporary suspension of deportation (Duldung), 1,821 without. A temporary suspension of deportation is issued when deportation is temporarily suspended, for example due to missing travel documents, illness, or ongoing training.

Before the change of power in Kabul, Germany regularly operated deportation flights to Afghanistan. The last flight landed in July 2021 – the 40th collective deportation since 2016. A total of 1,104 men had been returned to the country to date.

Dobrindt invites to migration summit

The first deportation flight since the coalition government took office departed immediately before a meeting between Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt and EU colleagues on the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain. Dobrindt believes the meeting will provide important impetus for a tougher migration policy . This includes addressing deportation routes and asylum procedures in third countries, combating human trafficking, and securing the EU's external borders.

The interior ministers of France , Poland , Austria , Denmark , and the Czech Republic , as well as EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner, have arrived. The adoption of a corresponding "Zugspitze Declaration" is planned.

pgr/se (dpa, afp, kna)