On Wednesday evening, a plane carrying 138 people from Afghanistan landed in Leipzig/Halle. The acting German government chartered the plane, which departed from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
This year, there have already been three similar flights with a total of 461 people from Afghanistan. They arrived in Berlin on February 25 and March 5, and another plane landed in Hanover on March 27. The admission flights have been heavily criticized, particularly by the CDU/CSU. The CDU/CSU primarily cites security concerns.
Who are these people?
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, 45 young people, 76 women, and 62 men have arrived in Germany. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the passengers have a legally binding admission commitment from various programs. A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior also emphasized: "In these cases, Germany has made concrete admission commitments in the past." New commitments will not be made.
Among those included are people who supported German soldiers in Afghanistan as local staff. Former employees of ministries and German organizations such as the Goethe Institute and Deutsche Welle are also on the list. As are people who have worked in the fields of justice, politics, media, culture, education, sports, or science, or who fear persecution by the Taliban because of their commitment to democracy and civil liberties – for example, human rights activists, lawyers, or journalists.