KABUL – Austria has deported an Afghan man to Kabul, marking the country’s first forced return to Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, amid growing pressure from European nations to restart deportations of rejected asylum seekers.
According to Austria’s interior ministry, the 31-year-old man was deported from Vienna via Istanbul to Kabul after serving a four-year prison sentence for sexual assault and causing grievous bodily harm.
The ministry said additional deportations of convicted Afghan nationals are being prepared.
The deportation follows Austria’s call, alongside 19 other European Union member states, for the European Commission to establish a framework allowing both voluntary and forced returns of Afghan migrants who have no legal right to stay in Europe.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates and opposition parties. Asylkoordination Austria, a Vienna-based rights group, said the deported Afghan had arrived as an unaccompanied minor and was suffering from “severe psychological impairment.” The group said it had unsuccessfully sought a court injunction to halt his removal.
“We are deeply concerned that there is no monitoring of what happens to those deported,” said group spokesperson Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz. “They risk torture or inhumane treatment upon return.”
The deportation comes weeks after Taliban representatives reportedly visited Vienna for talks with Austrian officials, a meeting condemned by rights groups who accused the government of legitimizing the Taliban regime.
The Taliban remain internationally isolated since retaking power in August 2021, enforcing strict interpretations of Islamic law and curbing women’s rights and press freedoms.
The European Union confirmed this week that it has begun “exploratory contacts” with the Taliban regime to discuss migration and deportation arrangements, as member states push Brussels to enable returns of rejected Afghan asylum seekers.
