Germany widens deportations to Afghanistan
For the first time, Germany has deported a man with no criminal record to Kabul. Faridoon Tofan, who is currently in deportation detention, fears the
For the first time, Germany has deported a man with no criminal record to Kabul. Faridoon Tofan, who is currently in deportation detention, fears the same fate. Things would likely have turned out very differently had Faridoon Tofan not taken the bus to Italy. He had intended to go on a short trip to Rome. The 46-year-old — who had fled the Taliban to Germany just under four years ago and had since been working and learning the language — was detained during a border check in mid-April and taken directly to a deportation detention center in Munich. The reason: Tofan did not have the legal right to leave Germany. His asylum application had been rejected; he held only a temporary residence permit, which does not protect against deportation. He could now be sent back to Kabul, even though he is neither a convicted criminal nor has he been classified as a security threat. His asylum application appeal was definitively rejected in July, and he is now to be deported. Faridoon Tofan fled to Germany from Afghanistan four years ago Image: privat Tofan's wife and six children are still living in Kabul. They were recently paid a visit by Taliban officials and say they've been living in constant fear ever since and the sons no longer dare attend school, Nina Alizadeh Marandi told DW. She is an asylum law expert at the human rights organization Amnesty International in Germany and in close contact with Tofan's lawyer. The Taliban officials' interest in the Tofan family in Kabul came after Faridoon Tofan's meeting with Afghan consulate staff in Berlin.
Both the embassy in the German capital and the Afghan Consulate General in Bonn are now under Taliban control — a state of affairs for which the German government has faced heavy criticism from the opposition and human rights organizations. While the German government does not officially recognize the Taliban administration as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, it points to contacts maintained at a purely "technical level." Deportation precedent This week, another Afghan national with no criminal record was deported. The flight — operated by Freebird Airlines using an Airbus A320-214 — departed Leipzig/Halle Airport in Eastern Germany at 1:43 a.m. on Tuesday, bound for Trabzon, Turkey, before continuing to Kabul, Afghanistan. The Afghan national with no criminal record was on the plane alongside 30 convicted offenders. This set a precedent that sparked vociferous protests: 260 people heeded the call of an anti-racism alliance and came to demonstrate inside the airport's departure hall, accompanied by a police escort. The complicated matter of deportation To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Luca Müller, spokesperson for the anti-racism group, also referenced the deadly terror attack on the Pride event in Berlin over the weekend: "While Islamist violence targeting Berlin's Pride celebration is being condemned from all sides, the federal government is supporting the Islamist Taliban through its deals," Müller said. By "deals," Müller is referring to accusations leveled by many human rights organizations and the political opposition that the German government is de facto legitimizing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in order to facilitate more deportations.
The BriefWire