Deportation of Convert Refugee Threatened with Death Penalty in Afghanistan
Naser R. is a refugee who converted to Christianity and threatened with death penalty in Afghanistan because of his conversion. He has been living in Hof since 2016 and visited St. Michael Church. He got baptized in the Church and since then, he became a member of the community. The young man is to be deported to Afghanistan, where he would face the death penalty. The Dean Günter Saalfrank and the honorary refugee commissioner of the Deanery of Hof wants to take action.
Naser has never lived in Afghanistan, nor does he speak the language. Only his father was born there. The Central Foreigners Authority in Bayreuth sent a letter to Naser to inform him that he would have to leave the country or else, be deported. Naser is experiencing psychological problems due to the stressful situation.
Dean Saalfrank is fully behind Naser R. In an open letter to the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, the church board demands a residence perspective for the young man. "If anyone deserves to stay here in Germany, it is Naser. He has shown what integration means," Said Saalfrank.
A member of the Church, Elisabeth Frisch recounts: "He has attended almost every church service for four years and is actually present everywhere".
Elisabeth Frisch: "All questions and requests we made were answered with a firm 'No'. Neither the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees nor the Administrative Court of Bayreuth took the religious conviction into account but rejected his application". "Some companies even wanted to take him on, but the office rejected the applications. He was allowed to work in one company for a while - but it was precisely during this time that the asylum procedure ended.
In comparison to other authorities, the Bayreuth Foreigners Authority had decided on the expulsion extremely quickly, while with other authorities, this examination process takes longer. In addition, it is fundamentally questionable to deport people to Afghanistan, as the number of positive corona cases in the region is increasing considerably.
"Afghanistan has not been accepting people since the pandemic in the spring, but the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior continue to put pressure on the country. The next deportation is to take place in October. "It is not yet clear, however, whether it can be carried out according to plan", Reichel noted.
Stephan Reichel: "The registration office in Bayreuth is considered the strictest in all of Germany with regard to conversion to Christianity. We have to stop this procedure."
Source: Franken Post, Euroherz
Photo from Frankenpost