Mirwais, an Afghan asylum-seeker, has been in Austria for more than four years. “If the authorities deport me, my life is over,” the 32-year-old Kabul native told this writer a few months ago. Mr. Mirwais speaks German well and has been working as an interpreter in Austria. Several employers offered him a job but as a refugee, he was not allowed to work legally. His friends had launched a petition to prevent his deportation.
But Mr. Mirwais is not in Innsbruck any more. The police appeared in the middle of the night at his refugee home on May 30, took him out of his bed and sent him back to Afghanistan, along with many other refugees. On the same day they reached Kabul, more than 150 people were killed in a bomb attack that took place near the German embassy in the city. All the victims were ordinary Afghans – those who went to work or to school.
Targeting Afghan asylum-seekers for deportation has become a trend in the EU, where governments are seeking to decrease and discourage immigration. While refugees from Iraq or Syria are granted asylum, more and more Afghans face deportation. Even though Afghanistan has been plagued by war for nearly 40 years, countries like Sweden, Austria and Germany argue that many Afghans are “economic migrants” and that their country has “safe areas” to which they can return.
Compliant Kabul
However, Berlin and Stockholm are not the only parties responsible for this deportation. Last fall, the Afghan government made a deal with the EU that ensured the deportation of refugees. Kabul was granted billions of euros in aid money on the condition that it would help the deportation of Afghans from Europe. And this is happening at a time when the country’s security situation becomes worse amid repeated attacks by militants.
According to President Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan needs the EU’s money to boost its economy. However, most of it might vanish in Afghanistan’s corrupt system, as had happened in the past with international aid. Additionally, the Afghan President – a man who himself lived many years in the U.S.– does not seem to be a fan of refugees. In an interview with the BBC, Mr. Ghani said he had no sympathy for those who were looking for refuge somewhere else.
For many Afghans in Europe, it is clear that their government has sold them out. “How do these people dare to decide about our destinies? And how can they be taken seriously?” Fardeen Sultanzada, one of Mr. Mirwais’ friends, asked. Mr. Sultanzada’s asylum request has been rejected. Now he fears to be deported soon like his friend. “I was shocked when I heard that they forced him to leave.” Mr. Fardeen says he hasn’t slept well since Mr. Mirwais was sent back. He fears that the police might come after him and take him out of his bed in the middle of the night and send him back to the war-hit country.
Although Austria, Germany and other European countries argue that Afghanistan has safe regions, the ground reality is different. Suicide attacks and bombings are regular occurrences in big cities like Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, Herat and Jalalabad. According to recent UN figures, civilian casualties in the country have reached a peak since 2009. In 2016, more than 11,500 civilians were killed or injured. One-third of the victims were children. In the first quarter of 2017, at least 2,181 civilian casualties have been documented by the UN. During that same period, the highest number of civilian casualties took place in Kabul province, the very place where deportees are being sent.
