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Updated August 16th, 2021 at 23:32 IST

Austria calls for deportation centres to host Afghan asylum seekers after Taliban takeover

Austria has called for the establishment of “deportation centers” in countries near Afghanistan to accommodate people fleeing the country amid Taliban seizure

Reported by: Gloria Methri
Austria
AP | Image:self
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Austria on Monday called for the establishment of “deportation centers” in countries near Afghanistan to accommodate people fleeing the country amid Taliban seizure. The chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, said the plan could serve as an alternative,  other than deporting Afghans back to their homeland -  a suggestion that earned him a rebuke by human rights organizations before Kabul’s collapse to the Taliban.

Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said if deportations are no longer possible because of the restrictions imposed by the European Convention on Human Rights, alternatives must be considered. 

“Deportation centers in the region around Afghanistan would be one possibility. That requires the strength and support of the European Commission. I will suggest it at the council of interior ministers,” Nehammer said, referring to an upcoming meeting of EU interior ministers.

Austria insists on deporting Afghan migrants

Austria was one of the six EU member nations that asked the European Commission last week to forcibly deport rejected Afghan asylum seekers. However, the Taliban have made a significant advance in the country since then, and three of the EU members – Denmark, Germany, Netherlands – withdrew the request.

Kurz’s Austrian People’s Party has long taken a hardline stance on the issue of immigration. It has won every parliamentary election since the 2015-2016 migration crisis, during which the country took in more than 1% of its population as asylum seekers. However, the party governs in a coalition with the left-wing Greens, many of whom oppose continuing deportations to Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan has fallen to Talibani terrorists, who reconquered major cities like Kandahar, Herat, and Lashkar Gah, soon after US troops began to retreat from the country. The insurgents gradually encircled the government in Kabul, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to resign and flee for his life. While the President himself fled the country, reportedly carrying loads of cash, the residents of Kabul are making desperate attempts to leave the city too. 

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Published August 16th, 2021 at 23:32 IST

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