Austria deports first Afghan since Taliban seized energy, says extra to return

Austria deported an Afghan nationwide again to his dwelling nation on Tuesday (October 21, 2025) for the primary time for the reason that Taliban seized energy there 4 years in the past, and the conservative-led coalition authorities in Vienna mentioned that extra would observe quickly.

The authorities has made combating unlawful immigration a prime precedence, apparently in search of to erode help for the far-right Freedom Party, or FPO, by specializing in one among its core points. The three-party ruling coalition of centrist events took workplace in March after the FPO gained a parliamentary election however did not type a governing alliance. The FPO has maintained its lead in opinion polls.

“This morning, a person convicted of significant crimes was deported to Kabul – the primary deportation to Afghanistan since 2021,” Chancellor Christian Stocker of the conservative Austrian People’s Party wrote on X.

“Austria is thus sending a transparent message: zero tolerance for anybody who has forfeited their proper to stay by committing prison offences,” he added. In July, Austria grew to become the primary European Union nation to deport a Syrian again to their dwelling nation for the reason that civil struggle there broke out regardless of objections by human rights teams that it was too quickly to know if it was secure to take action.

Austria has been saying for months that it hopes to renew deportations to Afghanistan regardless of related objections.

Amnesty International mentioned in an announcement that Afghanistan stays one of the crucial harmful international locations on the planet.

“Anyone who deports individuals to a state that commits crimes towards its personal individuals is intentionally denying safety and breaking the legislation,” it mentioned, including: “This betrayal of human rights should be stopped instantly!”

Syria and Afghanistan are the highest international locations of origin of asylum-seekers in Austria. The authorities has mentioned that originally these deported will primarily be prison offenders.

“The Interior Ministry underneath Gerhard Karner is making ready additional deportations,” Mr. Stocker mentioned