Response to Scholz’s demand
Taliban open to talks on deportations
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After the murder of a police officer in Mannheim by an Afghan, Chancellor Scholz is calling for deportations to Afghanistan as well. The radical Islamic Taliban are reacting – and are saying they are willing to talk.
The Taliban, who rule Afghanistan, have shown themselves open to negotiations with the German government about the deportation of their country's citizens. There is “hope” that both countries can come together on the issue “through diplomatic channels,” said the spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, on X. This would “secure the civil rights of Afghan citizens” and prevent them from suffering an “uncertain fate.”
Previously, in his government statement in the Bundestag, Chancellor Scholz had promised to deport criminals to Syria and Afghanistan. This followed the fatal knife attack in Mannheim last Friday, in which an Afghan injured five participants in a rally and a police officer. The officer later succumbed to his injuries.
So far, deportation to Afghanistan is not legally permitted. Scholz assured that the Federal Ministry of the Interior is looking for “legally and practically viable ways”. The idea of concluding agreements with third countries is also being discussed – an option that the Taliban reject. It must be prevented that Afghan citizens are handed over to third countries “in contravention of all applicable conventions”, said the Taliban spokesman.
Criticism and approval of deportation plans
Criticism of the deportation plans to Afghanistan came from Green Party leader Nouripour and the migration organization Pro Asyl, among others. Nouripour questioned the extent to which negotiations with the Taliban on deportation agreements made sense. They usually demanded money. “If we give Islamists money, they can use it to build networks. That doesn't contribute to our security either,” said Nouripour. Pro Asyl CEO Karl Kopp argues that international law prohibits any deportations to Afghanistan and Syria: “Because in both countries there is a risk of torture and inhuman punishments.” Just recently, the Taliban had 63 people publicly flogged.
However, other voices were also heard from the traffic light coalition. FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr demanded that the “deportation of Islamist criminals to Afghanistan and Syria must be made possible.” Those who commit Islamist crimes apparently do not need protection from Islamist regimes, he added, referring to the Taliban.
So far, no country has officially recognized the Taliban government. Western states demand, among other things, that human rights and, above all, women's rights be respected in the country in order to gain recognition. Other states, especially neighboring countries, have nevertheless advocated a more pragmatic approach to dealing with the Islamists.
