The German refugee organization Pro Asyl has condemned German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s initiative to allow deportations of serious criminals to Afghanistan and Syria.
“International law clearly prohibits any deportation to Afghanistan and Syria,” Karl Kopp, director of Pro Asyl, told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper in a comment published Friday.
Kopp described Scholz’s proposed plans as unlawful, because “both countries are known for their use of torture and inhumane punishment.”
On Thursday, Scholz proposed allowing the deportation of serious criminals to Afghanistan and Syria again, following the recent death of a police officer who was stabbed during an anti-Islamic rally in Mannheim.
“Such criminals must be deported – even if they come from Syria and Afghanistan,” Scholz told the Bundestag or the House of Commons. “There is no place here for serious criminals and people who make terrorist threats.”
The chancellor did not explain exactly how he planned to make this possible, but said the Home Office was working on practical implementation and was already in discussions with Afghanistan’s neighbors.
An Afghan stabbed several people in the southwestern city of Mannheim last week during a meeting of the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa. A police officer who tried to intervene later died of his injuries.
“The attack in Mannheim has shocked us all, but the German government must not undermine international law. Instead, it must rely on the resources of the German constitutional state,” Kopp said.
“The ban on torture applies to everyone, including criminals. This important principle must not be undermined,” he added.
Germany has not sent anyone back to Afghanistan since the Taliban took over in August 2021. Even before then, the agreement was that only men – mainly criminals and those considered terrorist threats – would be forcibly returned due to the difficult security situation.
