Germany must honour visa obligations to Afghan refugees, court says
BERLIN: A German court ruled Tuesday that the government must issue visas to an Afghan family previously accepted under a programme for those at risk after the Taliban seized power in 2021.
The new government under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has frozen the programme, but Berlin’s administrative court said the family had been given a “legally binding” commitment and must be allowed to travel to Germany.
About 2,500 Afghans with similar approvals are estimated to be in Pakistan waiting to be able to travel to Germany.
The programme was set up for those who worked with Germany’s army or other institutions in Afghanistan, as well as journalists and activists judged to be threatened by the Taliban.
In their ruling, the judges said that even though the commitment undertaken by the government could be seen as final in this case, Berlin was free to decide whether to end the admission process for Afghan nationals or to define how such a process should be continued.
The court said it had approximately 40 cases related to such matters, but a spokeswoman said different chambers had to decide individually in each of them.
