Germany updates: Rights groups file case over refugees – DW – 08/15/2025
Human rights group Pro Asyl has sued Germany's foreign and interior ministers for failing to protect Afghan refugees.
Over 2,000 vulnerable Afghans face grave risks as Pakistan begins mass deportations, while Germany's new government pauses resettlement plans.
Separately, Germany announces €5.8 million ($6.8 million) in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan over the "catastrophic" situation.
And, German Chancellor Friederich Merz says Russian President Vladimir Putin should seize the meeting with US President Donald Trump to agree to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.The human rights organization Pro Asyl on Friday filed suit against Germany's foreign and interior ministers, Johann Wadephul and Alexander Dobrindt for their role in the deportation to Afghanistan of individuals with guaranteed protected status in Germany.
The suit centers around recent news that Pakistani authorities have been sending individuals with approved asylum status in Germany back to the Taliban-led country they seek to escape.
The suit, filed with the Berlin public prosecutor's office, accuses both ministers of failing to protect the rights of Afghan refugees deported by Pakistani authorities.
As Germany maintains no diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, asylum applications for Afghanis in the region must be processed in neighboring Pakistan.
Pro Asyl legal spokeperson Wiebke Judith said, "protection seeking Afghans deported by Pakistani authorities face arbitrary arrest, abuse, even execution."
Judith said the situation was the result of poor German governance, criticizing the fact that Afghans have been left in this potentially deadly spot due to inaction on Berlin's part, saying they are being thrown into limbo rather than getting visas.
Currently, some 2,000 Afghanis with guaranteed German refugee status remain in Pakistan.
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Chancellor Merz urged Russian President Putin to seize the opportunity presented by his Friday meeting with President Trump to agree to direct negotiations with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy over a ceasefire in Ukraine.
"We expect President Putin to take President Trump's offer of dialogue seriously and, after the meeting in Alaska, to begin unconditional negotiations with Ukraine," posted Merz on X Friday.
Merz continued by saying "a ceasefire needs to be agreed at the summit" between Putin and Zelenskyy, one "that upholds the fundamental security interests of Europe and Ukraine."
Merz also spurred on US President Trump in his efforts to negotiate a deal, thanking him for his close cooperation with European and NATO partners in the endeavor.
You can follow live coverage of the Trump-Putin talks here.
from the Bonn online news team and welcome to our daily blog covering current affairs in Germany.
On Friday, the human rights organization Pro Asyl filed charges against Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt for failing to protect the rights of Afghan refugees deported to Pakistan.
Germany on Friday also pledged €5.8 million ($6.8 million) in further Afghanistan aid, calling the situation in the country, which marks four years of Taliban rule today, "catastrophic."
We will also look at Chancellor Merz urging Russian President Putin to take the opportunity to agree to meetings with President Zelenskyy over a negotiated ceasefire in Ukraine.
Merz's statements came ahead of a highly anticipated meeting this afternoon in Alaska between Putin and US President Donald Trump, which Merz said Putin "should take seriously."
Stay tuned for not only the latest news pertaining to Germany, but also analysis, on-the-ground insight from DW correspondents and multimedia content on Europe's biggest economy.
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