Discussions regarding potential deportations to Afghanistan involving the German government have drawn sharp criticism from several political factions. Representatives from the Green Party and The Left have voiced strong objections to the ongoing conversations with the Taliban regime.
Schahina Gambir, Green Party spokesperson on internal affairs, stated that the government appeared to have “lost its moral compass” in pursuing these talks. She emphasized concerns about the safety and human rights situation within Afghanistan under Taliban rule, describing it as unsafe and internationally condemned. Gambir accused the government of aligning itself with “far-right deportation fantasies” and normalizing a regime accused of systematic human rights abuses, including disenfranchisement, torture and public punishments.
Cansu Özdemir, The Left’s spokesperson for foreign policy in the Bundestag, echoed these sentiments, calling the discussions “scandalous”. She asserted that no negotiations should be held with the Islamist regime, highlighting the potential for severe penalties faced by individuals deported to Afghanistan, particularly concerning the dire circumstances endured by women and girls. Özdemir linked the discussions to perceived political maneuvering, characterizing them as “right-wing symbolic politics at the expense of the most vulnerable.
Earlier this week, criticism also emerged from within the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Adis Ahmetovic, SPD spokesperson for foreign policy in the Bundestag, expressed firm opposition to the planned negotiations, arguing that dialogue is currently inappropriate given the Taliban’s systematic denial of education, employment and freedom to women and girls, alongside their history of violence and persecution of dissenters and fundamental human rights violations.
