The German government on Friday (30) deported to Afghanistan a group of 28 citizens of the Asian country convicted of crimes committed in German territory. The flight, departing from Leipzig, in eastern Germany, was the first deportation of Afghans since the Taliban returned to power three years ago.
According to information from the public communications company DW, the measure was possible after two months of negotiations with the mediator Qatar – Berlin and Kabul do not maintain diplomatic relations.
“They are Afghan citizens, all convicted criminals who had no right to stay in Germany and against whom deportation orders were issued,” German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.
Germany had stopped deporting Afghans due to human rights concerns over the Taliban’s return to power, but reversed its stance and began allowing deportation flights to Afghanistan and Syria after an Afghan refugee killed a police officer and wounded five others in a knife attack in the city of Mannheim in May.
Last Friday (23), three people were killed and eight were injured in another knife attack during a festival in the city of Solingen. A Syrian refugee was arrested and the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
This week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government announced a new security package, which includes speeding up the deportation of rejected asylum seekers and illegal immigrants and toughening gun laws.
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