Abflug von Leipzig/Halle: Sammelabschiebung nach Afghanistan - Fokus auf Straftäter

On Tuesday morning, German police utilized a charter flight to transport 23 Afghan nationals with deportation orders to their home country from Leipzig/Halle Airport. A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior confirmed that all of the deportees were men who had been convicted of criminal offenses during their time in Germany.

These offenses included theft, sexual abuse of children, and mistreatment of protected individuals. Six German states - Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Rhineland-Palatinate - participated in this measure.

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) had previously stated that the government would no longer limit deportations to criminals and "menaces" when sending individuals back to Afghanistan. Instead, as agreed upon in the coalition agreement, the government would begin deporting other out-of-status individuals to the country.

Dobrindt emphasized that Germany's society had a clear interest in ensuring that criminals left the country. He added that those without residency rights should expect to leave Germany. The move has been criticized by the Greens in the Bundestag, who say that the government is only pursuing its own deportation policy, rather than focusing on human rights.

The government does not recognize the Taliban, who took power in Kabul five years ago, as a legitimate government.

The first mass deportation of Afghan criminal offenders took place two years ago, with support from the Gulf state of Qatar. At that time, Nancy Faeser, a member of the SPD, was serving as the Federal Interior Minister. One of the 31 men deported in July was interviewed by the dpa by phone. He had arrived in Germany at the age of 14 and had partially forgotten his native language, Dari.

He expressed his inability to work in Kabul and his living conditions in a shelter. He hoped to return to Germany, as his older brother was living there. He emphasized that Germany needed to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which has reached unprecedented levels of malnutrition, according to the United Nations World Food Programme.

Only about 33% of the working-age population has employment, according to the International Labour Organization. Brutal punishments, including floggings, have been increasing in Afghanistan. According to human rights organizations, the number of floggings in 2025 has already surpassed the 593 recorded in 2024. The Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization (AHRDO) in Canada has documented 553 floggings in the ongoing year alone, with cases from February 2022 to April 2026.

Most of these cases involved accusations of extramarital relationships, alleged sexual crimes, and homosexuality.