Thousands of displaced Afghans who lived in the capital Kabul have returned to their homes in rural Afghanistan. Each family received $200 to buy food and other essentials from UN refugee agency UNHCR.
Nearly 75% of Afghans who had worked with and supported German troops and were granted admission to Germany after the Taliban takeover last August, have successfully made their way to Germany.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said she expects more Afghans to be brought to Germany in the near future, following a new agreement with Pakistan.
Thousands of Afghans are still having to wait for an appointment to apply for a German visa to join their families, who have already left the country. The security situation as well as human rights in Afghanistan have worsened since the August 2021 takeover by the Taliban.
The German interior ministry is considering to introduce limitations to admission numbers of Afghan refugees. According to the news magazine Der Spiegel, a maximum of 5,000 Afghans considered to be at risk in their home country will be admitted per year under the plans.
Germany’s Federal Administrative Court has ruled that the key factor in validating a deportation ban is whether deportees will be able to secure their subsistence level "for a foreseeable period" upon return; but it is not legally important whether this is possible on a "sustained basis or even permanently."
Diplomatic tensions between Iran and Afghanistan have been on the rise following the circulation of videos alleged to show Afghan refugees being beaten and humiliated by Iranians over the weekend.
The German human rights organization Pro Asyl published a public appeal for help on behalf of 33 women's rights activists in Afghanistan. The organization pleaded for the women to be accepted immediately by the German government without further delay.
Afghans working with the journalists have also been released. The Taliban has imposed strict measures on media and free expression since taking power last August.
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) published a report stating that the number of asylum applications filed across the EU in November 2021 was the second highest for the last five years. The security situation in Afghanistan was the main cause for the increase.
The United Nations says it needs more than $5 billion to aid people inside and refugees outside Afghanistan. It says the "essential stopgap" will help shore up essential services and none of it will go to the Taliban.
Going forward, Germany will allow Afghan asylum seekers to pursue language and integration classes even before a decision is granted on their applications. The change in law came as government assessments showed that refugees from Afghanistan are likely to be allowed to remain in Germany for the time being.