Austria breaks the silence: Syrian deported for the first time in 15 years!

Austria breaks the silence: Syrian deported for the first time in 15 years!

Wien, Österreich - Vienna took a clear step towards a harder asylum policy on Thursday. A Syrian citizen was deported for the first time in 15 years. The 32-year-old, who was condemned for propaganda for the terrorist organization IS and whose asylum status was lifted, was flown to Damascus via Istanbul. The man was originally sentenced to a seven -year imprisonment in 2018 and has been in deportation since mid -May. The Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasizes that this measure is part of a consistent asylum policy and that the deportation is continued. This attitude is intended to promote security in Austria and take the return of people with serious crimes, report Merkur .

The deportation was originally set for the previous week, but had to be postponed because the Syrian airspace was closed. This development shows how complex the return of refugees and asylum seekers within the EU. Austria submitted a deportation plan for Syrian refugees last year to ensure the security and order in the asylum procedure, so Tagesschau .

The framework of asylum policy

The EU pursues a clear goal of asylum. She would like to guarantee international protection for third -country nationals and introduce a common European asylum system (GEAS). This is done as part of the Geneva Agreement of 1951 and is intended to ensure that the right to asylum is uniform for all Member States. The measures for the development of this policy have been pursued more intensely since the 1990s and now also contain reforms to improve asylum management, such as EU Parliament reported.

Aktuells around 100,000 Syrians live in Austria. In comparison, Germany has tightened its rules regarding the asylum procedure for Syrian citizens. It is particularly interesting that over 51,700 asylum procedures for Syrian nationals were pending by the end of May 2025. The return of Syrian asylum seekers in Germany are also in the room, despite concerns about security in Syria and the international truth of the asylum system.

a farewell to protective asylum law?

The deportation of this Syrian citizen is a clear sign in Austria's asylum policy - apart from the specific legal framework, the question arises as to how the right of asylum should be further developed in the EU. Interior Minister Karner would like to set an example with these measures that crimes are not tolerated. Even if the German side has no concrete results for returns to Syria, communication between the countries in this area is an important basis for future decisions.

Developments in the situation of asylum under the situation show that these topics are highly topical. While Austria is already taking the first concrete steps, it remains to be seen how the discussion about returns and asylum procedures will continue to develop in the future and what role other former and current foci of conflict such as Afghanistan will play.