21 Oct 2025 - 18:11
The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Austria has deported an Afghan man to Kabul, marking the first such expulsion since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, the government said Tuesday, vowing that more deportations would follow soon.
Chancellor Christian Stocker announced on X that the man, who had been convicted of serious crimes, was sent back to Afghanistan earlier in the day. “Austria is thus sending a clear message: zero tolerance for anyone who has forfeited their right to remain by committing criminal offenses,” Stocker said.
The move comes as Austria’s conservative-led coalition government seeks to crack down on illegal immigration — a key issue as it tries to draw support away from the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which won the most seats in last year’s parliamentary election but failed to form a government. The FPO continues to lead in opinion polls.
In July, Austria became the first European Union country to deport a Syrian national since the civil war began more than a decade ago, a decision that drew criticism from human rights groups.
Amnesty International condemned Tuesday’s deportation, saying Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most dangerous countries. “Anyone who deports people to a state that commits crimes against its own people is deliberately denying protection and breaking the law,” the organization said in a statement. “This betrayal of human rights must be stopped immediately.”
Austria has said deportations to Afghanistan will initially target criminal offenders. Stocker added that the Interior Ministry, led by Gerhard Karner, is preparing further removals.
Syria and Afghanistan are the two largest sources of asylum-seekers in Austria.
