Germany Resumes Deportations to Afghanistan

Protests Against Deportation

Given the human rights situation in Afghanistan, deportations to Taliban-controlled territory are controversial. The latest forced return also sparked criticism. A Leipzig-based coalition called for a protest at the S-Bahn station near the terminal. According to the organizers, 260 people attended. Another protest is planned for Tuesday evening in downtown Leipzig.

The Left: Human Rights Situation in Afghanistan Is Disastrous

Criticism also came from members of The Left in the Saxon State Parliament. “It is shameful to forcibly return people to a country ruled by the Islamist Taliban regime. It makes no difference whether the individuals in question have committed crimes or not,” emphasized State Representative Juliane Nagel. She added that the human rights situation under the Taliban is disastrous.

According to the Ministry of the Interior in Dresden, two Afghans from Saxony were also on board. The two men had most recently been living in the Zwickau district. “Both individuals have multiple criminal convictions for aggravated assault, physical assault, and resisting law enforcement officers, as well as violations of the Narcotics Act, insult, and property damage,” the statement said.

Critics Decry Cooperation with the Taliban

In early June, a group deportation of men required to leave the country to Afghanistan—originally scheduled for late May—was canceled because the Taliban rulers refused to cooperate. According to dpa reports, the flight was canceled after the Islamist rulers in Kabul expressed dissatisfaction with what they viewed as a lack of willingness to engage in dialogue on the part of representatives from the Federal Foreign Office. The Taliban are primarily interested in sending more diplomats to Afghan diplomatic missions in Germany.

Critics complain that while the German government does not recognize the Taliban due to their human rights violations—particularly those affecting women—it is simultaneously making practical concessions to facilitate deportations. This includes granting permission to send individual diplomats to the Afghan missions in Germany, where previously only diplomats who had been sent there by the previous government had worked.

On Friday, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defended an expansion of deportation practices to Afghanistan in the face of criticism. “Anyone whose asylum application has been denied and who is required to leave the country must, of course, also expect that this departure will be enforced if it is not carried out voluntarily,” said the CSU politician.

Severe Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is currently experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis. At least 3.7 million young children and 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding mothers are considered acutely malnourished. Experts report critical levels of hunger in nearly all of the country’s provinces. Years of drought and earthquakes are exacerbating the situation.

In addition, massive immigration is complicating the situation: According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a total of nearly 3.9 million people have returned to Afghanistan since the summer of 2021 from the neighboring countries of Iran and Pakistan alone. According to the UNHCR, more than 90 percent of the returnees live on less than $5 a day.

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