Posted on July 28, 2005

Afghans Removed from Europe

BBC News, July 27, 2005

France and Britain have deported 40 illegal Afghan immigrants in a chartered flight jointly organised by both countries.

The deportees, who arrived in Kabul on Wednesday, included 15 Afghans from Britain and 25 from France.

Several European rights organisations protested against the deportation.

The French interior minister said both France and Afghanistan were satisfied that the Afghans would not face any risk after returning home.

The deportation comes less than a month after interior ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain agreed to co-operate in fighting illegal immigration.

This first joint act is part of campaign to curb illegal immigration and human trafficking.

The French interior ministry said the move was a sign of “excellent Franco-British cooperation”.

This group of Afghans was accompanied by French and British police, a French police doctor and a diplomat from the French foreign ministry.

But the human rights group Amnesty International said officials could not guarantee the safety and dignity of the returning migrants.

[Editor’s Note: For more on this story, click here.]