'We believed in your promises:' At-risk Afghans demand German visas

A group of 200 Afghans at risk of persecution by the Taliban have asked to be allowed to settle in Germany in a letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reported dpa.

The signatories of the letter, which was seen by dpa on Tuesday, were recently deported from Pakistan back to Kabul and warn of the "unbearable psychological trauma" due to the "constant threat of Taliban intrusion, the fear of revenge, arbitrary detention, abduction, torture or death."

Following the Taliban's return to power in 2021, the German government made efforts to resettle former employees of German institutions and their relatives.

Berlin also signalled it would be willing to take in other Afghans at risk of persecution due to their careers as lawyers, journalists or human rights defenders.

Many Afghan families have been waiting in Islamabad for months or years to secure passage to Germany after being notified of their potential eligibility.

But, seeking to reduce migration levels, Merz's administration, which took office in May, has paused programmes to resettle hundreds of Afghans who were included in the German "admission programme."

The issue has taken on added urgency after Pakistani authorities began deporting those hoping to enter Germany back to Afghanistan earlier this year.

Among those signing the letter to Merz are artists, judges, public prosecutors, civil servants, women leading their own households and journalists.

In Kabul, they are now being accommodated in safe houses by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).

But the signatories warn that every hour of delay could cost them their lives.

"We believed in your promises. Please do not allow this trust to cost us - and our children - our lives," the letter said.

In total, 2,100 people on the admission programme are in Pakistan and 200 in Afghanistan, according to the German Foreign Office.

While a German court ruled on Monday that Berlin has the right to halt issuing visas in certain cases, some Afghan nationals have succeeded in securing admission to Germany after filing lawsuits.

A commercial flight from Istanbul landed at Hanover Airport on Monday carrying 45 Afghan citizens who were awarded visas and passed security checks, while two others have since arrived.