Pro Asyl—Germany’s largest pro-immigration advocacy organization—has firmly rejected German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s proposal to deport dangerous criminals among Afghan and Syrian refugees back to their home countries, stating that this measure contradicts international law.
In his statements to the German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine, the organization’s executive director, Karl Kopp, said, “International law clearly prohibits any deportations to Afghanistan and Syria, where deportees face the risk of torture and inhumane punishment in both countries.” He added that the United Nations has repeatedly affirmed this position.
Kopp expressed his shock over the crime that occurred in Mannheim involving an Afghan refugee, but emphasized that addressing such crimes must be done within the framework of international law and respect for the absolute prohibition on torture, even for criminals.
This controversy was sparked by a stabbing incident in Mannheim, where an Afghan refugee attacked five participants in a march organized by the anti-Islam group “Pax Europa.” The attack resulted in the death of a police officer and severe injuries to others, reigniting the debate on the feasibility and ethics of easing the ban on deportations to Afghanistan, especially after the Taliban took power of the country in August 2021.
Since then, Germany has ceased deportations to Afghanistan entirely. Previously, deportations were limited to men deemed by authorities to be criminals or security threats. As security concerns grow, the optimal approach to dealing with such issues remains a subject of ongoing debate among political and human rights entities in Germany.
