Overview

• On July 18, Germany operated its second charter flight to Kabul since 2021, deporting 81 Afghans including at least three individuals from forensic psychiatric clinics in Bavaria.
• Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann describe the deportees as serious offenders and assert that all removals complied with German and European legal standards.
• Legal guardians and human rights groups have filed lawsuits invoking Section 60 of the Residence Act, arguing that severe mental illness and inadequate medical care in Afghanistan should bar deportation.
• Courts are assessing claims that deportation orders were not properly communicated to legal guardians and that medical safeguards for vulnerable individuals were insufficient.
• The debate highlights a split between security-focused authorities defending rule-of-law enforcement and critics who say the expulsions violate Germany’s domestic and international human rights obligations.