U.N. criticises German plan to deport Afghans

The UN on Friday (July 4, 2025) criticised a plan by Germany to deport criminals to Afghanistan, a day after the interior minister said he would seek direct contact with the Taliban over the issue.

Germany stopped deportations following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 but the rise of far-right and anti-immigrant politicians has seen the topic rise up the agenda.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Thursday he envisaged Germany “making agreements directly with Afghanistan to enable deportations”.

But Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the United Nations’ human rights office (OHCHR), told reporters in Geneva it was “not appropriate to return people to Afghanistan”.

“We have been documenting continuing human rights violations in Afghanistan,” she said, including denial of women’s rights and executions.

Arafat Jamal of the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) in Kabul said his organisation was seeking funding to protect 1.4 million Afghans who had returned since the start of the year — most of them from Iran.

He said forcing Afghans to return risked causing further instability across the region and stressed that the UNHCR still has a “non-return advisory” in force for Afghanistan.

“In other words… the conditions on the ground are not yet ready for returns,” he said.

“We urge countries not to forcibly return (people) to Afghanistan.”