The refugee charity Pro Asyl has called on the German government to change its admission program for Afghans in need of protection. It criticized the fact that not a single person has been admitted to Germany through the program’s channels since its inception last fall.
The federal reception program was announced in October with plans of welcoming about 1,000 Afghans at risk under the Taliban government per month.
Those seeking protection cannot directly apply to the program but must be nominated and processed by a number of civil society organizations and NGOs.
Pro Asyl criticized the fact that it is not clear how the program works — the names of the organizations that Afghans can turn to in order to be nominated are not made widely public, and the organizations have largely avoided going public themselves about qualifying for the program out of fear of being overwhelmed with the number of inquiries they might receive.
Pro Asyl said that the federal government must set up a central office where Afghans who might qualify for the program can register themselves, calling the current system a “luck of draw.”
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Pro Asyl: Germany must think beyond Afghanistan
The human rights organization also criticized the fact that the aid program is aimed exclusively at Afghans who are currently in Afghanistan.
It stressed that many people have fled to neighboring countries like Pakistan and Tajikistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
It says the German government had promised support to these refugees as well, but highlighted the fact that they have no chance of coming to Germany under the current rules of the admission program.
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Visa suspension endangering Afghan lives
Pro Asyl also criticized the fact that Germany’s federal government has suspended visa procedures for Afghans for the time being after a number of people were alleged to have received visas without fulfilling all criteria.
The Foreign Office said it would set up an additional screening stage before resuming the program.
In recent weeks, Afghanistan’s de facto government under the Taliban has issued further human rights limitations affecting women in particular.
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with KNA
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