For the first time under a new agreement with the Taliban government, Germany has deported criminals directly to Afghanistan. The Federal Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that the 20 individuals deported had been convicted of offences in Germany including assault, sexual crimes, and drug-related offences. The first charter flight departed from Leipzig to Kabul on Wednesday, based on the new agreement on regular deportations.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) said the agreement with the government in Kabul creates "a reliable basis for direct and permanent deportations" to Afghanistan. In recent months, the Interior Ministry said it had "worked intensively to enable returns directly and without the support of third countries to Afghanistan."
Three men aged between 22 and 38 were deported from Baden-Württemberg. Among them, according to the Baden-Württemberg Justice Ministry, was a 22-year-old sex offender who in 2019 had raped a minor together with three other perpetrators in Illerkirchberg. Baden-Württemberg Justice Minister Marion Gentges (CDU) stated that all co-perpetrators of that crime have now been deported to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Three Afghans with an obligation to leave the country were deported from Saxony, some of whom had committed serious offences. According to the state government, one of them inflicted severe injuries on a train driver in the Erzgebirge district in 2023.
Four criminals from Hesse were also among those deported, according to the Interior Ministry in Wiesbaden. Hesse Minister-President Boris Rhein (CDU) said the successful deportation showed "that our rule of law acts decisively." He added: "Those who disregard our law must leave our country, that is a matter of justice and an expression of a resilient rule of law."
Dobrindt described the deportation of criminals as "a central component of control, direction and a clear stance in migration policy." He added: "Our society has an interest in ensuring that criminals leave our country. That is why we are acting decisively and expanding deportations step by step."
Dobrindt had already announced on several occasions his intention to deport criminals to Afghanistan on a regular basis. Officials from his ministry travelled to Kabul and held talks with the radical Islamist Taliban government to this end. This drew criticism from various quarters, though Dobrindt defended the negotiations.
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