Austria deports first person to Afghanistan since Taliban takeover, sparking outcry

Austria has deported a convicted criminal to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with Vienna warning more deportations are planned.

Chancellor Christian Stocker announced the deportation in a post in X on Tuesday morning, saying: "Those who do not abide by our rules must leave."

"This sends a clear message from Austria: Zero tolerance for those who have forfeited their right to stay through criminal acts," said Stocker, who heads the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).

"The interior ministry, under Gerhard Karner, is preparing further deportations," he added.

The deported man had been convicted of a sex offence and serious assault and spent four years in prison, public broadcaster ORF reported.

Amnesty International criticised the deportation and said that Afghanistan remains one of the world's most dangerous countries.

"Those who deport people to a state that commits crimes against its own people are deliberately denying protection and breaking the law," it said in a statement. "This betrayal of human rights must be stopped immediately."

In July, Austria became the first EU country to deport a Syrian national back to their homeland since the civil war started in 2011.

That move also sparked criticism from human rights groups, who questioned the security situation in the country since the ouster of former ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Austria's three-party governing coalition, which took office in March, has made tackling irregular immigration one of its key issues. The country's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) came first in the parliamentary election in September but failed to form a government.

Meanwhile, Germany started resuming deportations of Afghans to their country of origin in August last year.

Twenty European countries, including Austria and Germany, urged the European Commission on Saturday to prioritise the return of Afghan nationals living illegally in Europe, either voluntarily or by force.