Court defeat for German govt in Afghan refugee row - EUROPE SAYS
Germany’s constitutional court on Friday backed an Afghan woman’s appeal against an interior ministry decision to deny her a visa, despite her previously having been approved for entry. The woman had initially. . .
Germany’s constitutional court on Friday backed an Afghan woman’s appeal against an interior ministry decision to deny her a visa, despite her previously having been approved for entry. The woman had initially accepted been under a refugee scheme set up by the previous German government. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration has tried to row back on the scheme since taking office last year as part of its tougher stance on immigration. The plaintiff was one of more than 600 Afghans whose previous approvals the interior ministry had reversed as “invalid” in December. Those concerned had either worked with German armed forces in Afghanistan during the war against the Taliban, or were judged to be at particular risk from the Taliban after its return to power in 2021. This second category included rights activists, journalists and their families. While thousands of people were admitted under the scheme, hundreds more found themselves stuck in limbo in Pakistan as they waited for entry visas for Germany. There, they faced the threat of deportation from Pakistan, which has been implementing a drive to expel undocumented Afghans. The woman concerned in Friday’s case had been approved for entry, along with her two children, because of her human rights work, but had been stuck in Pakistan since late 2024 awaiting a German visa. She had unsuccessfully appealed the interior ministry’s decision in Germany’s lower courts. But Friday’s constitutional court ruling said the ministry had acted in an “arbitrary” fashion by not reviewing the details of her case. Elaha Hakim of the Airbridge Kabul initiative set up to help those affected welcomed the ruling. “We now call on the government to make good on their obligation to examine these cases individually and to finally give the families the protection they deserve,” Hakim said in a statement. Tags:internationalMNARefugees