A group of activists has warned that Germany’s recent suspension of evacuation flights for at-risk Afghans, including former local staff and human rights activists, is placing their lives in danger.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Purple Saturdays Movement, led by activist Maryam Marouf Arwin, said the halt in transfers exposes vulnerable Afghans to “direct, retaliatory, and extortion-driven threats” from the Taliban. The group expressed concern that Germany’s incoming government may further delay or abandon the resettlement process, which it described as a worrying signal of political indifference toward the fate of those who worked alongside German institutions in Afghanistan.
The group called on the German government to resume evacuations with urgency and care, arguing that the transfers are not only a humanitarian necessity but also “a moral, political, and historical responsibility” for Germany.
The movement also urged civil society groups, human rights organizations, media outlets, and women’s rights activists to rally in solidarity and advocate for the immediate protection of those still stranded in Afghanistan.
The warning comes as the German government has paused evacuation flights for a two-week period to allow the incoming coalition to determine the future of its resettlement policy. Reuters reported on Wednesday that, to date, Germany has accepted around 36,000 Afghan nationals under its voluntary relocation programs. More than 20,000 of those were former employees of German institutions and their families, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Earlier this month, the incoming governing coalition — comprised of conservative and Social Democratic parties — agreed to introduce tighter controls on irregular migration, amid rising public discontent over a series of violent incidents involving migrants and mounting pressure on housing and infrastructure systems.
Germany was among several NATO countries that launched special resettlement schemes following the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces from Afghanistan in 2021. However, rights advocates have criticized the slow pace and bureaucratic hurdles of the programs, which they say leave many eligible individuals in prolonged danger.
As the political transition unfolds in Berlin, activists warn that delays in decision-making could have deadly consequences for Afghans still hoping to escape Taliban rule.
