Austrian prisoner in Afghanistan released after nine months

The Austrian government, through Qatar’s mediation, has secured the release of the Austrian Herbert F. from Afghan custody. As the Federal Chancellery and the Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday afternoon, the 84-year-old has already landed in the Qatari capital Doha. He had been in the power of the extremist Taliban since May 2023. An FPÖ delegation led by ex-EU MP Andreas Mölzer tried to have him released last year.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the elderly man will receive medical care in Doha if necessary before he takes the flight home to Austria. According to the Federal Chancellery, the 84-year-old was received in Doha by the Federal Chancellor’s special representative for foreign policy, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal. The retired Secretary General of the Foreign Office was “in the region many times for confidential discussions” and was also “in constant communication with the decision-makers in Qatar.” The release shows “how much long-term, trusting cooperation on equal terms has proven itself in diplomacy.”

In an English-language post on “It is only because of our trusting cooperation that this Austrian citizen can return to his daughters and grandchildren,” said Nehammer.

The Gulf Emirate plays an important role as a mediator to various extremist groups such as the Taliban or the terrorist organization Hamas. In the next few days, negotiations will also be held in Doha about the release of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, including the Israeli-Austrian dual citizen Tal Shoham. The Chancellery emphasized that diplomatic efforts to release Shoham and the other Austrians imprisoned in Iran will be continued “with all our might.”

The Foreign Ministry emphasized that the 84-year-old had received “as best as possible consular support” in recent months via the Foreign Office, the responsible embassy in Pakistan and the EU representation in Kabul. This meant that urgently needed medication and a hearing aid were given to him. In addition to the partners in Qatar, the Foreign Office also thanked the EU representation in Kabul “for the discreet and trusting cooperation”, which has now led to success.

FP MP spoke of “state failure”

At the beginning of February, the FPÖ had accused the Foreign Ministry of doing too little to secure the man’s release. At a joint press conference with the 84-year-old’s daughter, Liberal MP Martin Graf spoke of a “state failure”. Austria should comply with the Taliban’s demands to close the Afghan embassy in Vienna, demanded Graf. F. is a well-known figure in the right-wing extremist scene in Austria. In 1967 he was a founding member of the National Democratic Party (NDP), which was banned in 1988. According to the Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance (DÖW) from 2015, F. continued to be active in the right-wing extremist scene.

In the F. case, the Foreign Ministry pointed out that the man had traveled to Afghanistan despite a travel warning that had been in place for decades. The matter also led to domestic political complications last year when high-ranking FPÖ members traveled to the country and met the “foreign minister” of the unrecognized Taliban rulers, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi. According to Afghan media reports, consular issues were also discussed at the meeting at the end of September. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl sharply distanced himself from the trip, which he described as “incredible stupidity”. As a result of the trip, National Council member Axel Kassegger resigned from his role as foreign policy spokesman for the FPÖ in the National Council, although contrary to original plans, he was not part of the delegation, which also included former National Council member Johannes Hübner.

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