On Friday, German lawyers filed criminal complaints against two cabinet ministers after Afghan refugees accepted under Germany’s humanitarian admission program were deported from Pakistan before receiving their travel documents. These individuals now face a high risk of “arbitrary detention, abuse, or even execution” in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, according to the complaint.
The human rights organization Pro Asyl filed charges against Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, accusing them of “abandoning and failing to protect” Afghan refugees who have become victims of increasingly repressive measures by Pakistani authorities.
The backdrop to these events is Germany’s initial promise—following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021—to accept thousands of Afghans who had worked with German institutions or were particularly at risk, such as journalists and human rights defenders. However, the program was suspended as part of anti-immigration policies introduced by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in May. As a result, an estimated 2,000 Afghans are currently stranded in Pakistan, waiting for the visas that would allow them to travel to Germany.
“Germany is in contact with the Pakistani government at the highest levels to ensure the protection of these individuals,” Foreign Minister Wadephul said in a statement on Friday, expressing “deep concern” for those facing deportation. Despite this, the resettlement program remains suspended, even after a court ruled last month that the government has a “legally binding obligation” to issue visas to those already accepted under the scheme.
Pakistan, which hosts a large Afghan refugee population, launched its first mass deportation initiative in 2023, renewing the effort in April this year. Since 2023, more than one million Afghans have left the country, including over 200,000 since April alone.
