UN representatives reject German plans to start deporting Afghans

The UN refugee agency has rejected German plans to deport criminals to Afghanistan, with a local representative stressing that "conditions on the ground are not yet ready for returns," as the Taliban takeover nears its fourth year.

"We urge countries not to forcibly return Afghans," Arafat Jamal, the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kabul, said via video link in response to a journalist's question during a UN press conference in Geneva.

It comes after German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he was looking to hold talks with the ruling Islamist Taliban, who took back power in Afghanistan in August 2021, to enable Germany to send back convicted criminals.

UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani also rejected the idea.

"It is not appropriate to be talking about returning people to Afghanistan at this point," she said, noting continued human rights violations under the Taliban, including executions and the suppression of women's rights.

Germany suspended deportations to Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover, but following a string of deadly attacks committed by migrants in the past two years, including by Afghan citizens, some have been calling for deportations to resume.

In August last year, 28 convicted criminals were deported to Afghanistan via Qatar, in what was seen as a one-off attempt by the previous centre-left administration to ease the tense migration debate.