- Forceful Transfer to Afghanistan: Individuals Being Relocated to Kabul via Aircraft
According to Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, "28 offenders" were expelled from Germany to Afghanistan. Faeser made this announcement on the X platform, stating, "Our security matters, our rule of law prevails." Faeser showed appreciation towards the Federal Police and the states for their collaborative efforts. This marks the first deportation to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power three years ago. The individuals' identities are gradually being disclosed.
Criminals from various federal states were expelled
Three offenders hailing from Bavaria were on the expulsion list. Joachim Herrmann, the CSU's Interior Minister, disclosed that two of them had been jailed for sexual misconduct, while the third had been penalized under the Narcotics Act. They were 27, 29, and 30 years old.
"We successfully deported five serious offenders to Afghanistan today," explained Siegfried Lorek, the CDU's migration secretary from Baden-Württemberg, regarding those expelled from his state. "This is a victory for our country's security." Among those expelled, according to Lorek, was an individual who, along with three others, had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old for hours in Illerkirchberg in 2019.
Among the others were "serious violent offenders who had been sentenced to extended prison terms for attempted murder," as well as an offender who had been convicted multiple times and appeared over 160 times in criminal proceedings.
An Afghan national was expelled from Thuringia, as declared by SPD Interior Minister Georg Maier. The 25-year-old had been found guilty, among other offenses, of causing grievous bodily harm and armed robbery.
According to "Welt", two Afghan offenders from Saxony-Anhalt were also expelled. They were described by "Welt" as "two male individuals," as quoted by the state's interior ministry. "One person was convicted of two counts of rape and is serving a prolonged youth sentence. The second person was found guilty of molesting minors; ongoing investigations against him are being conducted for rape and distributing narcotics to minors," the report summarized.
The federal government's approach sparks controversy
Five offenders were also expelled from Lower Saxony. As "Spiegel" quoted Interior Minister Daniela Behrens of the SPD, they were between 20 and 30 years old and "either deported directly from prison or from freedom."
The expulsion of offenders to Afghanistan is contentious, as the radical Islamic Taliban are in power within the country. Critics believe it is in conflict with the Basic Law and international law, as human rights violations are expected in Afghanistan. Despite this, the interior ministers of the states are advocating for the expulsion of serious offenders and Islamic extremists to Afghanistan and Syria.
In response to the controversy, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser defended the expulsions, stating that "The Commission" has carefully reviewed each case to ensure the individuals' safety and human rights would not be violated upon return to Afghanistan.
Despite the criticism, several state interior ministers, including Thorsten Schäfer-Guénther from Schleswig-Holstein, have supported the expulsions, emphasizing that "The Commission" has stringent guidelines to guarantee the safety and fundamental rights of the offenders upon their return.
