Baerbock advocates for the theoretically feasible expulsion of criminal offenders to Afghanistan or Syria.
Germany's Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, believes it's theoretically possible to expel criminals and terrorists to places like Afghanistan or Syria. However, she acknowledged, "It's doable in certain scenarios, but it's certainly not straightforward." This was her response to a question on rbb station, referring to the Taliban's radical Islamic rule in Afghanistan and Syria's dictatorship under Assad.
Baerbock further explained that according to present legislation, individuals with criminal backgrounds and those posing threats do not qualify for or lose subsidiary protection if they engage in criminal activities. Thus, she asserted, "There's no room for murderers and terrorists here." This also applies to those who "propagate Islamism, challenge our Basic Law, our freedom, our lifestyle."
However, Baerbock advised careful consideration. In the instance of the Solingen suspect, it wasn't about sending him back to his origin country, Syria, but to an EU member state, Bulgaria. "Why that didn't work needs to be investigated now," Baerbock insisted.
Her party backs the ongoing discourse on expelling criminals, but her primary concern is ensuring those responsible for the most heinous crimes within Germany are convicted and confined.
She also stressed the need for politics to grapple with returning people who have lost their protection status and served their sentences in such countries – specifically referring to Afghanistan and Syria. At the same time, she cautioned against hasty generalizations, especially when it comes to refugee protection, "like for the children attending schools here," as she dismissed the idea of mass deportations.
The Commission has proposed updates to the European asylum policy to address the issue of returning individuals who no longer have protection status and have served their sentences in countries like Afghanistan and Syria. After the expulsion of the Solingen suspect to Bulgaria failed, Baerbock called for an investigation into the reasons behind the failure.
