BERLIN: Germany deported 23 Afghan men on a Kabul-bound charter flight on Tuesday, with the government saying most of those aboard were offenders convicted of violent crimes.

Video published by Bild daily showed the men entering a plane at Leipzig airport before dawn, as se­­v­­­eral protesters in the terminal held up a banner th­­at read “Stop Deport­ations — Refugees Welcome.”

Germany has accepted millions of refugees and asylum seekers since 2015, but Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to reverse the trend and stepped up border checks and deportations.

Regarding Afghans, Berlin has prioritised deporting criminal offenders, but in July sent back a first Afghan citizen without a criminal record whose asylum application had been rejected. “This morning, 23 Afghan men required to leave the country were deported to Kabul on a charter flight,” the interior ministry said on X.

“The individuals are largely offenders convicted of serious crimes, including sexual offences and causing bodily injury.” An interior ministry spokesman said that all of the men deported on Tuesday had “come to the attention of the criminal justice system here”.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2026