Latest news with #Karner
DW
03-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Austria deports first Syrian since start of civil war – DW – 07/03/2025
Austria deported its first Syrian in 15 years on Thursday. The move comes as Austria and neighboring Germany seek to deport criminals to the war-torn nation and to Afghanistan. The Austrian Interior Ministry on Thursday said it had carried out its first deportation of a Syrian to Syria since the start of that country's civil war more than 15 years ago. The deported 32-year-old man was flown to Damascus via Istanbul. Though his name was not given, nor his specific crime cited, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said the man had been convicted in November 2018 at which time he was stripped of his refugee status. "A Syrian criminal was deported from Austria to Syria today, specifically to Damascus," Karner told reporters, adding, "I believe it is an extremely important signal that Austria is pursuing a tough, strict, forceful but fair asylum policy in that those who endanger others, criminals, will be removed from the country." Austria and neighboring Germany have both been eager to repatriate Syrian criminals and those whom they see as potential Islamists now that former President Bashar Assad has been toppled and the civil war ended. In April, Karner flew to Damascus with his then-counterpart from Germany, Nancy Faeser, to initiate the return of such individuals to Syria, which was deemed safe for return. With Thursday's repatriation, Austria became the first nation in the EU to deport someone back to Syria. Rights groups, however, say it is too soon to know how the situation in Syria will develop under the Islamist government that has taken power after pushing out Assad. They also fear Austria's move will set a precedent for other countries. Austria's ruling conservative coalition is seeking to use its tough stance on immigration to win back voters who defected to the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) — which won last September's parliamentary elections. Austria's People's Party — which leads this government — suspended asylum application processing for Syrians within days of Assad's fall while it led the previous government. Syrian nationals have lodged more asylum requests than any other group since 2015, according to Interior Ministry data. During his comments Karner also spoke of his desire to begin deportations to Afghanistan. "There will be, and will have to be, other deportations towards Syria. These are also being prepared," Karner said Thursday. Germany's current Foreign Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said he hopes to follow Austria's lead, while at the same time seeking direct talks with the Taliban in order to facilitate the same in Afghanistan. On Thursday Dobrindt said, "There are contacts with Syria on an agreement to return Syrian criminals. There are no results as yet."
Kuwait Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Austria deports Syrian convict in EU first since Assad fall
BUDAPEST: Austria's Federal Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner attends a press conference on the expansion of the Schengen area, in Budapest on November 22, 2024.--AFP VIENNA, Austria: Austria on Thursday deported a Syrian criminal convict back to Syria, becoming the first EU country to do so officially 'in recent years', the interior ministry said. Austria has been pushing to be able to deport Syrians back since the ouster of Syria's leader Bashar Al-Assad in December. 'The deportation carried out today is part of a strict and thus fair asylum policy,' Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in a statement sent to AFP. The ministry said it was the first deportation of a Syrian directly to Syria in about 15 years, and Austria was the 'first European country to officially deport a Syrian criminal directly to Syria in recent years'. Karner travelled to Syria with his German counterpart Nancy Faeser in April to discuss deportations, among other topics. Karner, from the governing conservative People's Party (OeVP), on Thursday vowed to 'continue this chosen path with hard work and determination'. Austria was among European Union nations that suspended all Syrian asylum applications after Assad's ouster. It also stopped family reunifications. Some 100,000 Syrians live in Austria, one of the biggest diaspora in Europe. Austria's anti-migration far right topped national elections in September though they were unable to find partners to govern, leaving the runner-up conservatives to form a new government. — AFP
The Star
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Austria deports first Syrian since civil war, says more will follow
VIENNA (Reuters) -Austria's conservative-led government said on Thursday it had carried out its first deportation of a Syrian back to their home country in almost 15 years, making it the first European Union country to do so since the outbreak of Syria's civil war. The unnamed Syrian man had been convicted of an unspecified crime in November 2018, given a seven-year sentence and stripped of his refugee status, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said, adding that he could not go into specifics. The Syrian man's legal adviser, Ruxandra Staicu, declined to specify the nature of his conviction but said he was 32. "A Syrian criminal was deported from Austria to Syria today, specifically to Damascus," Karner told reporters, pledging that more would follow soon. "I believe it is an extremely important signal that Austria is pursuing a tough, strict, forceful but fair asylum policy in that those who endanger others, criminals, will be removed from the country," he added. While EU member states including Austria and Germany have been keen to strike agreements with Syria's new Islamist-led government to enable deportations, rights groups have said it is too early to tell how the security situation will evolve and whether it is truly safe to deport people there. Rights groups are concerned that Austria's move will create a precedent, encouraging other EU member states to deport Syrians amid rising anti-migration sentiment across the bloc. "There is no reliable information on how the new regime will treat the returnee. In this volatile situation, it is irresponsible to conduct a deportation simply for PR reasons," said Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz, a lawyer and spokesperson for Asylum Coordination Austria, a platform of Austrian NGOs. TOUGH STANCE Austria's three-party ruling coalition has made a tough stance on immigration one of its hallmarks as it seeks to erode support for the far-right Freedom Party, which came first in September's parliamentary election with an even harder line on what has long been a prominent issue in national politics. Within days of President Bashar al-Assad's fall from power in December, Austria's previous government, led by the same conservative People's Party in power now, suspended the processing of Syrians' asylum claims and said it would work towards repatriating Syrians already in the country. Syrians are the top nationality among asylum seekers and refugees in Austria since 2015, Interior Ministry data show. Austrian law allows the authorities to revoke a refugee's status in some cases within five years of it being granted. "There will be, and will have to be, other deportations towards Syria. These are also being prepared," Karner said, also mentioning Afghanistan, another country that many refugees and asylum seekers in Austria come from. (Reporting by Francois MurphyAdditional reporting by Amina Ismail in Cairo Editing by Gareth Jones)
The Sun
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Austria deports Syrian convict in EU first since Assad fall
VIENNA: Austria on Thursday deported a Syrian criminal convict back to Syria, becoming the first EU country to do so officially 'in recent years', the interior ministry said. Austria has been pushing to be able to deport Syrians back since the ouster of Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad in December. 'The deportation carried out today is part of a strict and thus fair asylum policy,' Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in a statement sent to AFP. The ministry said it was the first deportation of a Syrian directly to Syria in about 15 years, and Austria was the 'first European country to officially deport a Syrian criminal directly to Syria in recent years'. Karner travelled to Syria with his German counterpart Nancy Faeser in April to discuss deportations, among other topics. Karner, from the governing conservative People's Party (OeVP), on Thursday vowed to 'continue this chosen path with hard work and determination'. Austria was among European Union nations that suspended all Syrian asylum applications after Assad's ouster. It also stopped family reunifications. Some 100,000 Syrians live in Austria, one of the biggest diaspora in Europe. Austria's anti-migration far right topped national elections in September though they were unable to find partners to govern, leaving the runner-up conservatives to form a new government. – AFP
Daily Maverick
11-06-2025
- Daily Maverick
Former pupil kills 10 people and himself in shooting at Austrian school
Former pupil attacked secondary school in Graz He killed nine, then himself, interior minister says Graz Hospital later confirms death of 10th victim Austria to hold three days of mourning By Francois Murphy, Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich and Leonhard Foeger Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said six of those killed at the school were female and three were male, without giving any details of their ages. Graz Hospital later confirmed the death of a 10th person. Karner said another dozen people had been injured but gave no further details about the victims. Austrian media said most were pupils. Police said they believed the 21-year-old Austrian shooter, who was found dead in a bathroom, had been operating alone when he entered the school with two guns and opened fire. His motive remained unclear. Director General of Public Security Franz Ruf told state broadcaster ORF that victims were found outside and inside the school on various floors, adding the gunman had been armed with both a shotgun and a pistol, both found at the scene. Chancellor Christian Stocker called the shooting a 'dark day in the history of our country'. 'There are no words for the pain and grief that we all – all of Austria – are feeling right now.' Stocker travelled to Graz where, at a press conference alongside officials including Karner, he announced three days of national mourning. A minute's silence was set for 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Wednesday. Ruf also told ORF the suspect had left behind a farewell letter, both in analogue and digital form, in which he said goodbye to his parents but gave no indication of a motive, which was still being investigated. More than 300 police were called in after shots were heard around 10 a.m. at the school, for pupils of 15 and above. Ambulances also arrived within minutes as the premises were cordoned off. The Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper said in an unconfirmed report that the suspect had opened fire on pupils in two classrooms, one of which had once been his own. It said he had been a victim of bullying. Julia Ebner, an extremism expert at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue think-tank, said the incident appeared to be the worst school shooting in Austria's post-war history. Foreign leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed shock. Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, with an estimated 30 firearms per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. Four people were killed and 22 injured when a convicted jihadist went on a shooting spree in the centre of Vienna in 2020. In November 1997, a 36-year-old mechanic shot dead six people in the town of Mauterndorf before killing himself.
