Germany Deports 20 Afghan Offenders to Kabul in Direct Flight Agreement
Germany returns 20 Afghan asylum seekers convicted of crimes to Kabul under new agreement enabling direct and permanent deportations.
Germany’s Interior Ministry announced that 20 Afghan nationals convicted of crimes have been deported to Kabul. The group was returned on a charter flight departing from Leipzig.
According to Deutsche Welle, this marks the first time individuals have been directly returned from Germany to Afghanistan without transit through a third country.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the agreement with authorities in Kabul provides a “reliable basis for direct and permanent deportations” to Afghanistan.
The Interior Ministry said it had worked intensively in recent months to make direct returns possible without relying on third countries, adding that regular deportation flights are expected to continue.
Germany had largely suspended deportations to Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, citing security and humanitarian concerns. However, domestic political pressure has grown in recent years to expel foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes.
The new arrangement reflects a shift in Berlin’s approach, focusing specifically on individuals found guilty of criminal offenses, while broader asylum protections for vulnerable Afghans remain in place.
The ministry stated that German society expects convicted criminals to leave the country, emphasizing that authorities will continue expanding deportation procedures step by step under the new framework.
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