Austria Deports Convicted Afghan Asylum Seeker to Kabul

DID Press: Austria has deported a 26-year-old Afghan national to Kabul via Istanbul after he was convicted of serious property and drug-related offences, the Austrian Interior Ministry said.

The man was deported from Vienna on August 31 and was accompanied and monitored throughout the transfer to Kabul, according to the ministry. Austrian authorities said he had been convicted on three occasions and had served more than two and a half years in prison. His criminal record also contained 20 police entries.

The Austrian Interior Ministry said the man was among Afghan nationals whose identity and nationality had been verified by a delegation of Afghanistan’s authorities in Vienna in September 2025. The identification process helped facilitate the resumption of deportations directly to Afghanistan.

Austria says it has joined Germany as one of the first European countries to resume direct deportations to Afghanistan. Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner has said people convicted of crimes or without a legal right to remain in Austria will continue to be removed.

According to Austrian government figures, more than 8,800 people without legal residency left Austria during the first seven months of 2026. More than half were forcibly deported, and 48% of those forcibly removed had criminal convictions.

The deportation comes amid growing European efforts to return some Afghan nationals, particularly those convicted of serious crimes, despite continuing international concerns over conditions and human rights in Afghanistan.