German Interior Minister Says That Deportations to Iran Should Be Stopped

Taking into account the disastrous human rights situation in Iran, Faeser said that deportations are irresponsible, suggesting that the country should halt all deportation activities, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reports.

“A halt to expulsions is the right step, which should be decided as soon as possible by the states,” the statement of Faeser reads.

According to Info Migrants, under the federalist system of Germany, each state is responsible for deportations and can decide independently on who to deport; thus, Faeser called them to take a decision as soon as possible and halt expulsions.

Faeser said that Iran is cracking down on peaceful protests with brutal violence and, at the same time, pointed out that Germany must do everything it can for the protection of Iranian society.

The same source explains that Lower Saxony, one of Germany’s federal stated, has already announced that it would stop deportation to Iran. The Interior Minister of Lower Saxony, Boris Pistorius, said that he would recommend at the next meeting of his state counterparts a nationwide moratorium.

Advocacy groups, as well as those who are pro-asylum and European refugee rights, have also called on the other German states to follow the example of Lower Saxony.

Figures provided by the German Ministry of Interior show that from the beginning of the year until August 2022, Germany expelled 31 people to Iran. On the other hand, last year, Germany expelled a total of 28 Iranians from their country.

Previously, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reported that France had urged the EU to impose travel bans as well as other sanctions on Iranian officials.

The Foreign Minister of France, Catherine Colonna, said that France’s actions at the heart of the EU are “to target those responsible for the crackdown by holding them responsible for their acts.”

Additionally, Minister Colonna said that the bloc was also planning to impose asset freezes apart from the travel bans.

At the moment, the EU has an array of sanctions on around 90 Iranians, which are renewed yearly every April.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of France said that the new measures could also target repressive regime figures who send their children to Western countries to live there.

Following the multiple deaths and the ongoing protests, other countries are also planning to impose sanctions on Iranian authorities for violating human rights.