Germany deports 20 criminals to Afghanistan, including notorious gang rapist

Germany has carried out its first deportation flight to Kabul under a newly negotiated bilateral arrangement, returning 20 Afghan nationals convicted of crimes in Germany. The charter aircraft departed from Leipzig, marking what the Interior Ministry describes as the beginning of a more systematic policy of direct removals.

According to officials, those on board were all legally obliged to leave the country and had been convicted of offences including sexual assault, violent assault and drug-related crimes. The government framed the flight as a security measure and a signal of intent: deportations to Afghanistan, long considered politically and diplomatically fraught, are once again being operationalised.

Among those removed was a man convicted over the 2019 gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in the town of Illerkirchberg, a case that prompted national outrage and intensified debate over deportations of serious offenders. Authorities in Baden-Württemberg say all individuals involved in that crime have now been expelled from Germany.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt characterised the move as part of a broader recalibration of migration policy, arguing that the removal of criminal offenders is essential to restoring public confidence. The new agreement with Kabul is intended to provide a durable framework for regular returns without relying on third countries.

Politically, the flight represents more than an administrative act. It underscores Berlin’s determination to demonstrate enforceability in migration policy, particularly in cases involving serious criminal convictions.

(ReRa, BMI)