Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), on Monday announced plans to deport criminals to Syria and Afghanistan.
“We want to systematically deport, in particular, violent Islamist criminals,” Faeser told Bild am Sonntag. “Whoever does not have the right to stay in Germany will have to leave our country as soon as possible,” she added.
However, the Foreign Ministry disputed this, noting ongoing conflicts in both countries and credible reports of serious human rights violations.
Earlier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz endorsed the policy, stating at a press conference that his government was preparing to deport criminals to Afghanistan and Syria. The German government is also negotiating with several third countries to facilitate these deportations through nations neighboring Syria and Afghanistan.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has expressed skepticism about the deportation plans, citing implementation challenges.
The decision to deport refugee offenders comes after several incidents of murder and knife attacks in June that left several German citizens dead and injured.
