Restricted repatriations still possible

  • Home Page
  • Chancellor 

  • Federal Government

  • News

  • Service

  • Media Center

Security situation in Afghanistan Restricted repatriations still possible

The attitude of the federal government to the repatriation of Afghan citizens does not have to be corrected. This was confirmed by Federal Foreign Office spokesperson Schäfer. Following an interim report on the security situation, criminals and dangerous persons can continue to be deported to Afghanistan.

2 min reading time

The federal government has confirmed its attitude to repatriations to Afghanistan. The spokesperson of the Federal Foreign Office, Martin Schäfer, said on Wednesday in Berlin that an interim report on the re-evaluation of the security situation in the country was now available. There is no significant evidence that the current position of the federal government in this matter must be corrected. Criminals and so-called dangerous persons can continue to be deported.

After the severe attack on the German embassy in Kabul on 31 May 2017 , the federal government had restricted the deportations to Afghanistan. Consequently, Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière had agreed that the Foreign Office conduct a review of the current security situation in Afghanistan.

Interim report on the security situation

According to Schäfer, the risk situation of the people in Afghanistan - or the returnees to their home country - depends on numerous factors. Here, individual factors such as the place of residence, origin, ethnicity, occupation and gender play a role. The report contained no evidence that the attitude of the federal government on the issue of repatriation must be corrected since the terrorist attack on the Kabul embassy.

The interim report contains what "further, updated and reliable information could be determined, in the limited time period, and in view of the massively-restricted work capacity of our embassy in Kabul". After the attack at the end of May, the number of personnel at the German embassy was significantly reduced.

Confirmation of the current position

From the point of view of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the interim report gives no reasons to deviate from past practice. This was emphasised by the spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Johannes Dimroth, in Berlin. Specifically, this means that: until further notice, criminals, dangerous persons, as well as those who stubbornly refuse to reveal their identity, can be repatriated to Afghanistan.
In addition, voluntary return will continue to be promoted. The German embassy in Kabul will support the carrying out of repatriation, insofar as its ability to work is facilitated.