KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Four Taliban officials have traveled to Geneva in recent days to assist in identifying and facilitating the deportation of Afghans convicted of crimes, Swiss state media reported.
According to Swiss broadcaster SRF, the delegation traveled to Geneva four days ago to confirm the identities of Afghan nationals set for expulsion and to help issue travel documents for their return.
Daniel Bach, head of communications at the Swiss Migration Office, said human rights concerns in Afghanistan complicated the operation. “We all know that human rights are not respected in Afghanistan – that made things a bit tricky. On the other hand, Switzerland’s public interest in protecting the population from convicted criminals outweighed all else,” he said.
Last year, Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans decided that convicted Afghan criminals should be deported after serving their prison sentences, under a judicial deportation order. By the end of last year, five such deportations had taken place.
Swiss authorities said the Taliban government later changed its procedure, requiring travel documents to be issued in Kabul rather than at the Afghan Embassy in Bern.
According to the report, during their two-day visit, the Taliban delegation identified 11 convicted criminals and two voluntary returnees at Geneva Airport. “They did not leave the airport during their stay.”
Swiss officials stressed there are no plans to allow a permanent Taliban presence in the country.
Switzerland has broadened its deportation policy. In April, authorities allowed the return of rejected Afghan asylum seekers under certain conditions, including healthy, single adult men with a support network in Afghanistan. Since then, according to the report, about 20 Afghan men have been ordered deported, with two cases finalized. Others have appealed to the Federal Administrative Court.
Other European nations have also resumed deportations to Afghanistan. In July, Germany approved the temporary stationing of two Taliban consular staff to assist with deportation flights.
However, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have criticized the deportation of Afghans from Europe and other countries, citing concerns for their safety and human rights in Taliban ruled Afghanistan.
