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.
The German government is being urged to speed up efforts to bring Afghans at risk from the Taliban to safety. Three refugee groups have called for "swift and decisive action."
European Union and UNHCR officials have announced that Latvia, Lithuania and Poland still use "pushbacks and other violations of human rights" at the borders to keep migrants out. They added that they are also denying access to aid groups trying to help people in the border region with Belarus.
Afghan asylum seekers in Germany are increasingly succeeding in their appeals to German courts to be allowed to remain in the country, according to government data.
In light of the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, refugee charity Pro Asyl has urged the German Federal Foreign Office to prepare a new status report and take into account the developments of the past few weeks.
A group of charities and NGOs has said Germany needs to take in more people from Greek refugee camps, which are notorious for being over capacity and lacking necessary facilities.
More than 60 organizations and associations are calling for the abolition of the reporting requirement for people without residency status in Germany seeking healthcare.
The deportees landed in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, February 9. They departed the German city Munich earlier that day.
There are renewed calls in Germany for a freeze on deportations of rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan. Several groups are warning that as Afghanistan’s security situation worsens, the risks from COVID have become acute.
The number of asylum applications in Germany continues to decrease. According to the German interior ministry, there were over 30% fewer applications last year than 2019.
After a forced nine-month interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, a deportation flight with 11 Afghans landed today in Kabul. NGOs and politicians sharply criticized the practice amid the tense security situation in Afghanistan.
Ten men were deported from Germany to Ethiopia last week. Asylum seeker support groups say deportations should be stopped during the COVID pandemic.