Germany defends deporting Afghan with no conviction

Germany defended deporting an Afghan national who had not been convicted of a crime, after refugee rights groups criticised the move.

The deportee was among 31 Afghans on a flight that left Germany for Taliban-run Afghanistan on Tuesday. The flight was part of a tighter immigration policy pursued by conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz since he took office last year.

The government has said its priority is to return people convicted of serious crimes. But the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday it was also possible to put people on deportation flights who were not criminals.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said most of those on the latest flight were “serious offenders” convicted of crimes including murder, rape and violent acts. He said that for one person on the flight, the designation of convicted offender did not apply.

Dobrindt said people with no right to stay in Germany could also be deported if there were no signs they had integrated in the country. He acknowledged demonstrations at Leipzig Airport during the flight but said the government would not be deterred from its firm stance on migration.

Merz came to office hoping a tougher immigration policy would help his CDU/CSU alliance counter the far-right Alternative for Germany. The CDU/CSU has since fallen further in polls, with the AfD establishing a steady lead.

Germany evacuated its embassy in Kabul in 2021, when the Taliban retook power, and warns its citizens against travelling to Afghanistan. The latest flight followed a Taliban delegation's talks with the European Union in Brussels last month on increasing returns of failed asylum-seekers, a move criticised by rights advocates.

The Taliban authorities impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law, including ending girls' education at age 12 and enforcing several restrictions on women.