Germany to follow Austria and deport convicted Syrians - International
The ministry had instructed the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) to take action against "dangerous Syrian individuals and delinquents", a spokesman told AFP, confirming a report appearing in the Sunday edition of Welt newspaper.
The spokesman stressed that committing serious crimes meant one was excluded from the protection afforded by asylum and could lead to the revocation of any such status already granted.
An agreement reached by the coalition made up of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives and the Social Democrats provided for deportations to Afghanistan and Syria "starting with delinquents and people considered a threat," the spokesman added.
To that end the ministry was in contact with the relevant Syrian authorities, he said.
Between January and May, the BAMF has opened more than 3,500 procedures that could lead to the revocation of asylum rights granted to Syrian nationals, the ministry said in an answer to a question in parliament.
Refugee status had been withdrawn in 57 cases and lower-level protection in 22 other cases, said the ministry.
During the same period, around 800 Syrians have returned home as part of a voluntary repatriation programme funded by Germany, to which 2,000 have so far signed up.
Around a million Syrians live in Germany, most of whom arrived during the major exodus between 2015 and 2016.
But since the December 2024 fall of president Bashar al-Assad, several European countries, including Austria and Germany, have suspended asylum procedures as far-right parties have campaigned on the issue.
Austria's interior ministry on Thursday deported a Syrian criminal convict back to Syria, saying it was the first EU country to do so officially "in recent years".
Germany has in recent months suffered several deadly attacks by jihadists using bladed weapons as well as far-right violence, which has pushed the issue of security up the political agenda.
Follow us on:
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
16 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Ukraine says 31 killed in Russian strike on Thursday - War in Ukraine
Ukrainian rescue workers on Friday uncovered the body of a two-year-old, as they finished work following a Russian attack the day prior that killed 31 people in all. Kyiv observed a day of mourning after the deadliest attack in the Ukrainian capital this year ripped open a nine-storey residential building, wounding 159 people and claiming the lives of five children. "This despicable attack by Russia shows that additional pressure and sanctions on Moscow are necessary," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday, announcing rescue operations had wrapped up. "We appreciate that (US) President (Donald) Trump, European leaders and our other partners clearly see what is happening and condemn Russia," he added. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Friday described the Russian attacks as "depraved" and posted a picture of the bloc's flag at half mast. "More weapons for Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Russia are the fastest way to end the war. Getting more air defenses to Ukraine fast is our priority," she added in a post. Separately, one person was also killed in a Russian attack early Friday on Zaporizhzhia, in southeast Ukraine, the region's military administration said on Telegram. Another was killed in the northeastern Kharkiv region, officials said, while the toll from another strike on Thursday -- this time in Kramatorsk further south -- rose to three. Thursday's attack was among the deadliest the capital has seen since Russia launched its large-scale offensive in February 2022. Trump on Thursday blasted Russia's actions in Ukraine, suggesting that new sanctions against Moscow were coming. "Russia -- I think it's disgusting what they're doing. I think it's disgusting," Trump told journalists. On Monday, the US leader issued a "10 or 12" day ultimatum for Moscow to halt its invasion, now in its fourth year, or face sanctions. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
17 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Slovenia says will ban weapons trade with Israel over Gaza war - War on Gaza
Slovenia said Thursday that it will ban all weapons trade with Israel over its war in Gaza, in what it called a first by an EU nation. Slovenia's government has consistently condemned Israel's 22-month war -- denounced as outright genocide by scholars and rights groups -- and last year recognised a Palestinian state to pressure Israel to end the military onslaught. 'Slovenia is the first European country to ban the import, export and transit of weapons to and from Israel,' the government said in a statement late Thursday. It said it was moving ahead 'independently' because the bloc was 'unable to adopt concrete measures... due to internal disagreements and disunity'. Amid Israel's war and blockade of Gaza, where 'people... are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied them', it was the 'duty of every responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others,' the statement added. The government also said it had not issued any permits for the export of military weapons and equipment to Israel since October 2023, citing the Gaza war. Earlier in July, Slovenia—also an EU first—banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country. It declared both Israelis 'persona non grata', warning they were inciting 'extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians' with 'their genocidal statements.' In June 2024, Slovenia's parliament passed a decree recognising Palestinian statehood, following the example of Ireland, Norway, and Spain. On Thursday, Canada announced it will recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. This came a day after the UK declared it would do the same—unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire and other conditions—and a week after France unveiled a similar plan. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
17 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Top EU court rule that FIFA's decisions can be challenged outside Switzerland - World
The European Union's top court ruled on Friday that the decisions of world football's governing body FIFA can be challenged outside Switzerland, opening up a system that currently binds athletes, officials and clubs to accept verdicts there. A statement from the European Court of Justice said that tribunals in the 27 EU member states 'must be able to carry out an in-depth review of those awards for consistency with the fundamental rules of EU law.' The ECJ ruling in Luxembourg means that EU national courts should be able to review verdicts from the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), involving other sports authorities as well. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. 'The awards made by the CAS must be amenable to effective judicial review," the statement said. It said that 'national courts or tribunals must be empowered to carry out ... an in-depth judicial review' to ensure that CAS rulings "are consistent with EU public policy.' There was no immediate comment from FIFA or CAS. The decision could end a decade-long legal fight by Belgian football club RFC Seraing and Maltese investment fund Doyen Sports. They opposed FIFA rules prohibiting third-party ownership of a player's registration and transfer rights and in 2015 asked a commercial court in Brussels to review if those rules breached EU law. The ECJ did not specifically rule on third-party ownership as such, only the scope of CAS decisions. Seraing's lawyer, Jean-Louis Dupont, said the club should be compensated after FIFA imposed sanctions, including transfer bans and a fine. He added that the ruling has wide implications, challenging the legality of all 'forced arbitrations' by mandated international sports federations. 'In summary, the (court) has definitively ended the procedural deception used by international sports federations to evade the proper application of EU law through the imposition of compulsory arbitration outside the EU,' said Dupont, who also helped win the landmark Bosman case on the contractual freedom of players 30 years ago. The Court of Arbitration for Sport was created in 1984 to give sports a unified and binding legal forum for settling disputes and appeals based in the International Olympic Committee's home city of Lausanne, Switzerland. It is the mandatory path for athletes to challenge disciplinary and appeal judgments by Olympic sports federations. It rules on cases across dozens of sports and is a key authority in doping cases. Football is by far the biggest client in the CAS caseload of about 950 registered each year. FIFA's contribution of 2.5 million Swiss francs ($2.75 million) to CAS in 2023 was more than 10% of the court's revenue that year. CAS verdicts can be challenged at Switzerland's supreme court in Lausanne on limited procedural grounds and are rarely overturned. Seraing and Doyen lost at the Swiss Federal Tribunal in 2018. The ECJ said any CAS decision that binds other courts or tribunals from acting 'are contrary to EU law.' The ruling marks a new legal blow to the authority of sports bodies in Switzerland. The same European court in Luxembourg has handed down two other major rulings in the last two years under EU competition law — in the Super League case and Lassana Diarra transfer dispute — that challenged the authority of football bodies FIFA and UEFA. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
