Deportation to Afghanistan: Why now? And what’s next?

81 Afghan offenders are deported to their country of origin with a charter machine. It is the second flight of this kind after the takeover of the Islamist Taliban in August 2021. The traffic light government had already announced more after a first flight last August. This did not happen. The successor to Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) even promised regular flights in spring. The implementation is complicated.

Among other things, Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) commented on this. According to this, men are concerned with sexual crimes, murder, homicide, heavier bodily harm, property crimes and drugs. Those affected were brought to a plane by bus. The police were present on the roller field and there was also at least one person who was brought into the machine in ankle skins.

Not excluded that this impression arises in some. There was a discussion about the time a year ago at the last deportation flight to Afghanistan.

It took place two days before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia. At that time, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also emphasized at campaign events that the government implemented its announcements when it comes to deportation. However, it was said from authorities that such deportations had a long lead. The “mirror” wrote of two months.

The Federal Government has no official relationships with the Islamist Taliban, which are isolated internationally because of their disregard for human and especially women’s rights. Germany does not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government of Afghanistan – so far only Russia has done that internationally. With direct negotiations on a diplomatic level, the rulers in Kabul would be legitimized on an international parquet. That is why negotiations on the withdrawal of Afghans who have become delinquent here are running over the Watar detour. Conveyed the golfemirate. The current deportation freight to Kabul took place with a machine from Qatar Airways.

Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt sees a “very legitimate interest of the citizens”, as he said in the ARD. The refugee aid organization Pro Asyl currently states: “Deportations to Afghanistan are a blatant violation of international law, because the Taliban prevails there with brutal violence, such as flipping and executions for violations. The United Nations’ refugee and human rights organizations do not yet consider the conditions on site to be suitable for repatriations.

So far there is no information. The then Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) defended the payment of 1,000 euros each to the offenders deported to Afghanistan after the last deportation freight. This is a usual procedure so as not to risk the decision that courts will be able to make the decision because the delayed the deported threats, she said at the ZDF. “This should almost secure the safety of the measure, so to speak.” She pointed out that the topic of “hand money” was a matter for the federal states.

In the past, the Taliban had expressed the willingness to accept returnees. In addition to whether there could also be a prison sentence in Afghanistan, the rulers in Kabul have not yet officially commented on this.

After the first deportation freight to Afghanistan since Taliban took over last August, the deported offenders were released a short time later, as a high-ranking Taliban official of the German press agency reported. The people had previously been checked, and their families had also assured in writing that they would not commit any crimes.

For the Taliban, the deportations should offer an opportunity to expand their political relationships with other countries. A Taliban official recently reported on a meeting with a German diplomat in Qatar: Accordingly, they were discussions on consular services for Afghans living in Germany. After confirming the deportation flight, the Taliban signaled to X of wanting to continue such conversations.

“In the meantime, it is no longer to be denied that the Federal Government has talks with the political character with the Taliban regime, even if it continues to insist that it is only so-called technical contacts,” says Afghanistan expert Thomas Ruttig.

According to Afghanistan, the direct neighboring countries Iran and Pakistan are currently shifting, in which millions of Afghans have been looking for protection in the past decades. This is mainly done on the country path.
Turkey also pushes to Afghanistan, which human rights activists repeatedly denounced.