Finland and Sweden halt deportations to Afghanistan

Finland and Sweden have recently decided not to enforce deportations to Afghanistan until further notice due to the resurgence of the Taliban.

"If you are an Afghan citizen applying for asylum or a residence permit in Finland, we will not, at the moment, issue a negative decision for you if your decision would involve removal from the country to Afghanistan," informed the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) in its customer bulletin.

Migri is assessing the current security situation in Afghanistan and has paused the issuing of negative decisions on 9 July 2021.

The immigration agency emphasized that the pause only concerns the decision-making at the Finnish Immigration Service.

"The police are responsible for removals from the country," says Migri

Sweden

The Swedish Migration Agency said on Friday that the already difficult security situation in Afghanistan has further worsened following the recapture of much of the country by Taliban forces.

As a result, the agency of the neighbouring country announced an indefinite moratorium on deportations with immediate effect.

Those receiving deportation orders will be expected to return to Afghanistan only when the situation has stabilized.

Some 7,000 Afghan asylum seekers in Sweden are currently awaiting deportation.

The coronavirus pandemic has already made such deportations difficult for some time.