Germany deported 23 Afghan men on a Kabul-bound charter flight on Tuesday, with the government saying most of those aboard were offenders convicted of violent crimes. Video published by Bild daily showed the men boarding a plane at Leipzig airport before dawn, as protesters in the terminal held up a banner reading "Stop Deportations, Refugees Welcome."
Why is Germany deporting Afghan men to Kabul?
Germany has accepted millions of refugees and asylum seekers over the past decade, but Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to reverse the trend by stepping up border checks and deportations. Berlin has prioritised deporting Afghan criminal offenders, though in July it sent back a first Afghan citizen without a criminal record whose asylum application had been rejected. The interior ministry said on X that 23 Afghan men required to leave the country were deported to Kabul on a charter flight that morning.
Who was on the deportation flight to Kabul?
The interior ministry said the individuals were largely offenders convicted of serious crimes, including sexual offences and causing bodily injury. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said German society has a clear interest in ensuring criminal offenders leave the country. He added that anyone without a right of residence in Germany must expect to leave, and that the government is consistently implementing this policy. AFP asked the interior ministry how many of the 23 men were convicted offenders but did not immediately receive a response.
The German government does not formally recognize the Taliban, who seized power in Kabul five years ago, but has still negotiated with Kabul on the deportations. Merz has said he hopes a tougher immigration policy will help his CDU/CSU alliance, to which Dobrindt also belongs, counter the rising threat of the far-right Alternative for Germany.
Why are human rights groups criticizing the deportations?
Human rights groups criticize the deportations to Afghanistan, where Taliban authorities enforce a strict interpretation of Islamic law, including girls' education stopping at age 12 and several restrictions targeting women. The activist group Alliance Against Deportations said about 50 people joined the airport protest against the flight, calling it extremely dangerous for those on board. "People from Afghanistan seeking protection here are being deported to the Taliban regime where they face exclusion, torture or even death," said its spokesman, Kai Adeel.
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