Overview
- Hundreds of Afghans with German admission promises sent a two-page letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz asking that Germany keep its protection commitment and not force a return to Taliban rule.
- The letter, coordinated via a 600-person chat group, was delivered Saturday evening to the chancellery and several ministries through Bundestag liaison offices.
- The Interior Ministry under Alexander Dobrindt recently offered several thousand euros to roughly 700 people to withdraw from the programs, an offer the signatories describe as hurtful and demeaning.
- At least 1,900 to 2,000 eligible Afghans remain in Pakistan awaiting onward travel, with some now pursuing legal action after the government curtailed the admission programs.
- The group includes former local staff for the Bundeswehr and at-risk civil society figures such as human-rights activists, judges, and journalists, while Green MP Marcel Emmerich criticized the government for ignoring prior commitments.