Germany has deported 28 Afghan citizens who were accused of criminal activities. This marks the first deportation since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. The German government, represented by spokesperson Stefan Hebestreit, confirmed during a press briefing that those deported were previously convicted individuals who did not have the right to remain in Germany and who had been subject to deportation orders.
The deported individuals were sent back on a charter flight operated by Qatar Airways, which departed from Leipzig to Kabul early Friday morning at 6:56 AM local time (04:56 GMT). According to German media reports, all of the Afghan nationals on board were men.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser expressed her gratitude to both federal and state authorities for their cooperation via a post on platform X (formerly Twitter). She emphasized the importance of security, stating: “Our security matters; our rule of law acts.”
The government had to utilize alternative channels to facilitate the deportation, as Germany has severed diplomatic ties with the Taliban since they took power following the ousting of President Ashraf Ghani three years ago. According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, the operation was carried out after two months of “secret negotiations,” with Qatar acting as a mediator between Germany and the Taliban.
The deportations coincide with a political debate in Germany following a knife attack in Solingen, where a Syrian citizen who had applied for asylum was suspected. This individual was meant to be deported to Bulgaria but managed to evade the deportation. The attack, claimed by ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), has renewed attention on immigration issues in the country.
Faeser announced new measures on Thursday to tighten knife laws and ease the process of repatriation, which has become an important political issue ahead of elections in the eastern German states of Saxony and Thuringia, where right-wing parties such as the Alternative for Germany (Alternativ für Deutschland – AfD) are expected to perform well.
In June, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged that the country would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again. “It is a clear signal: Those who commit crimes cannot expect us to refrain from deporting them,” he stated during a campaign event near Leipzig.
Current deportations to Afghanistan have long been criticized by human rights organizations, which point out the problems with sending “dangerous individuals” and criminals back to a country where there is a risk of torture. Amnesty International in Germany has expressed concern over this practice, emphasizing that no one should be deported to a situation of human rights violations.