Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Austria Deports Convicted Syrian to Damascus After 15-Year Pause

The pilot removal underscores Austria’s effort to repatriate criminal or extremist individuals under an agreement reached during joint talks in Damascus.

Gerhard Karner
Als erstes EU-Land seit Jahren hat Österreich am Donnerstag einen Straftäter nach Syrien abgeschoben. Die Abschiebung sei "Teil einer harten und damit gerechten Asylpolitik", erklärte Innenminister Gerhard Karner.
Image
Image

Overview

  • The deportee was a Syrian convicted criminal who was flown on a commercial flight from Vienna to Damascus via Istanbul.
  • Austria’s Interior Ministry prepared the removal program and has since facilitated over 350 voluntary returns to Syria under its new repatriation initiative.
  • The decision follows April talks by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and Germany’s Nancy Faeser that established protocols for forced and voluntary repatriations.
  • During Syria’s civil war, Austria halted deportations to the country, making this the first enforced return since around 2010.
  • Germany reports ongoing negotiations with Syrian transitional authorities on returning offenders and has yet to implement any deportations under the emerging agreement.