Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is considering lifting the ban on deportations to Afghanistan.Bild: IMAGO/Future Image/ F. Kern
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It’s been almost a year and a half since the Afghanistan mission failed. In August 2021, international troops – including German troops – were hastily withdrawn from the country on the Hindu Kush. A short time later, the country fell back to the Taliban.
Life has been extremely difficult again since then, especially for girls and women. Under the Taliban, they lose many of their freedoms and rights. It was only in December 2022 that the militant group shocked with a university ban for women and girls. They are also not allowed to visit public parks, gyms or the like.
Again and again, the Taliban draw attention to themselves with inhumane punishments: For example, with public flogging. And it is not only the militant Islamic regime that is creating a dangerous climate in the country, but also the effects of the past 40 years of war. Duds, for example, explode again and again.
When the Taliban took control of the country within a few days in 2021, the German federal government imposed a deportation freeze on Afghans. Until now. As the “picture on sunday” wants to know from security circles, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) would like to have it checked how deportation of dangerous people can be possible.
The federal government does not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. In order to carry out deportations, modalities such as the issuance of documents and the specific return procedures with Afghanistan would have to be clarified, it said.
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Green politicians with harsh accusations
For Erik Marquardt (Greens), this push is a no-go. The European politician explains on Twitter:
“In view of the current situation in Afghanistan, it is completely unrealistic from a legal and organizational point of view to carry out returns to the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
What initially sounds pragmatic means in practice that Germany would have to conclude agreements with the Taliban. In this way, Marquardt believes, the legitimacy of rule would be recognized indirectly. And not only that. The federal government should also be able to trust the Taliban to respect human rights. This also includes the prohibition of torture. “Otherwise the repatriations are crimes,” writes Marquardt.
Green politician Erik Marquardt doesn’t want to hear anything about deportations to Afghanistan.picture: Marquardt
The Greens politician also expresses another concern: “Anyone who is allowed to deport criminals can, in principle, bring back all those who are obliged to leave the country.”
It’s not helpful, he says, to propose something that the interior minister should know won’t work. Such a rush drives people into the hands of enemies of democracy.
Marquardt expresses a piquant suspicion as to what is behind the minister’s plans: “That’s why I can’t imagine that such a populist proposal is really more than a strange contribution to the Hessian election campaign.”
“The Federal Ministry of the Interior is working with the Foreign Office to clarify these questions as quickly as possible,” quotes the “Welt” from security circles. The advance should SPD and FDP find support – so far only the Greens have been going on the barricades. “It is right and important that the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Office are in contact with one another,” the newspaper quoted SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese as saying.
So Faeser is not alone with her suggestion. Another traffic light dispute may be looming in the debate.
