Germany Deports Convicted Criminal to Syria for First Time Since 2011
Germany Deports Convicted Criminal to Syria for First Time Since 2011
Germany deported a convicted criminal to Syria for the first time since the Syrian civil war began in 2011. According to the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, the man was handed over to authorities in Damascus. He had served a prison sentence in North Rhine-Westphalia for aggravated robbery, assault, and extortion. Earlier the same day, another convicted criminal was deported to Afghanistan, marking the second such deportation to that country within one week. These deportations are aligned with a coalition agreement between Germany’s Union and SPD parties, which specifies beginning with offenders and potential threats from Afghanistan and Syria. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt emphasized the importance of deporting criminals to maintain public security. Chancellor Friedrich Merz also stated his intention to personally urge the Syrian transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to facilitate faster deportations, citing the end of the civil war as a reason why asylum claims from Syria should now be rejected. The transitional government in Syria, led by al-Sharaa after ousting Bashar al-Assad, is reportedly moving towards greater openness and relations with the West.