Germany deports a Syrian man convicted of crimes, marking the first such forced return since 2011, as Berlin secures new agreements with Damascus and Kabul.
BERLIN: Germany has deported a man to Syria for the first time since the civil war began in 2011.
The interior ministry said a Syrian immigrant, previously convicted of criminal offences, was flown to Damascus and handed over to authorities on Tuesday morning.
“Our society has a legitimate interest in ensuring that criminals leave our country,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said.
The deportation followed months of talks with Syria’s government, mirroring similar efforts to strike a deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Human rights groups have criticised such deportations, citing continued instability and evidence of rights abuses in both countries.
Germany’s conservative-led government made resuming deportations to Syria a priority after former president Bashar al-Assad fled just over a year ago.
In July, Austria became the first European Union country to deport someone to Syria since 2011.
The ministry said deals are now in place with both Damascus and Kabul for regular deportations of “criminals and dangerous individuals”.
Roughly a million Syrians fled to Germany to escape the civil war, with many arriving in 2015.
The deported Syrian had served a prison sentence in North Rhine-Westphalia for aggravated robbery, bodily harm and extortion.
An Afghan man was also deported to his home country on Tuesday after serving time for intentional bodily harm and other crimes.
