Another offender deported to Syria

Germany has once again deported a Syrian criminal to his home country. According to the German press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the 32-year-old had come into conflict with the law several times and was sentenced to several years in prison in 2020 for drug offenses and assault.

A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior told Bild newspaper: "Today, another Syrian offender was returned to Syria on a scheduled flight. The Syrian has been convicted several times for violent and drug-related offenses." He was detained in Burg prison in Saxony-Anhalt, from where he was taken to the airport. According to dpa information, he was flown out late on Tuesday afternoon.

This is the second deportation to Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Previously, forced returns had been suspended for years. A criminal was deported to Syria for the first time shortly before Christmas. He had been living in Gelsenkirchen and had been convicted of particularly serious robbery, assault and extortion.

Saxony-Anhalt's Interior Minister, Tamara Zieschang (CDU), thanked Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) for "creating the operational conditions to be able to return Syrian offenders to Syria".

Dobrindt (CSU) told Bild: "We are deporting criminals, including to Syria and Afghanistan. Anyone who commits crimes here must not be allowed to stay. Our society has a legitimate interest in criminals leaving our country." His ministry is implementing this consistently.