RASC News Agency: Switzerland has resumed deporting Afghanistani and Ukrainian nationals with criminal records after a years-long suspension, Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) reports. The Swiss Migration Office confirmed that this policy targets individuals identified as threats to public safety in Switzerland. In the initial phase of this renewed policy, Switzerland deported three Ukrainian nationals last week and two Afghanistani nationals the previous month. Notably, these two Afghanistani nationals represent the first deportations of Afghanistani asylum seekers since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.
One of the deported individuals, an Afghanistani asylum seeker, had been convicted in 2018 for assault, specifically for kicking another Afghanistani national in the head during a football match. This conviction led to a 16-month suspended prison sentence and a seven-year prohibition from re-entering Switzerland. Vincenzo Mascioli, Director of the Swiss Migration Office, defended the move, stating that this is the first deportation to Ukraine since the conflict there began. However, the decision has faced criticism from human rights advocates and migration experts. Amnesty International Switzerland condemned the policy, calling it a breach of the humanitarian principle of non-refoulement, stressing that Afghanistan and Ukraine, given their dangerous security situations, are unsuitable for returning individuals.
Despite the pushback, the Swiss Migration Office asserts that the overall security risks in these countries are not automatically grounds for halting deportations. Under this policy, unsafe conditions in a destination country alone are insufficient to cancel a deportation, with each case evaluated individually and subjected to thorough review.
