Germany deported 40 men to Afghanistan whom the Interior Ministry called criminals — Der Spiegel

Germany deported 40 Afghan men to Afghanistan on a charter flight, whom the federal Ministry of the Interior described as people who had committed crimes. The plane departed from Leipzig/Halle Airport and landed in Kabul, Der Spiegel reports, citing a ministry spokesperson.

Crimes committed by those deported

Germany's Interior Ministry stated that all those deported were men who had committed crimes. The ministry listed murder, rape, sexual abuse of children, bodily harm and drug trafficking among them.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild newspaper that criminals must leave the country. According to him, returns to Afghanistan are also a regular and reliable component of Germany's migration policy.

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Participation of federal states and previous flights

Ten federal states took part in the joint deportation: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Since the beginning of the current legislative period, Germany has deported a total of 303 Afghan men to Afghanistan.

The first collective deportation of people who had committed crimes following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 took place in 2024 with Qatar's support. In February 2026, Germany's federal police, for the first time without the assistance of third countries, transported 20 such people directly to Kabul under an agreement with the Taliban.

Last weekend, hundreds of people protested against deportations at several German airports. Among other things, the participants criticized the federal government's cooperation with the Taliban to organize such flights.