VIENNA: Austria — one of the European Union members pushing for deportations of Afghans and Syrians — on Tuesday deported an Afghan man, the first such removal since 2021.
The Alpine nation is one of 20 EU member states which have urged the European Commission to take action to enable both voluntary and forced returns of Afghans with no legal right to stay.
In July, it also became the first EU country in recent years to deport a Syrian.
It has since sent two other Syrians back to their home country, where long-time strongman Bashar Assad was ousted in December.
A 31-year-old Afghan, who served four years in jail over a sexual offense and causing grievous bodily harm, was deported from Vienna via Istanbul to Kabul, Austria’s interior ministry said.
