Austria only deports voluntarily
Ministry of the Interior: case-by-case assessment, but “impending dangers are taken into account”
While in Germany Interior Minister Nancy Faeser spoke out in favor of suspending deportations to Iran, the Austrian Interior Ministry refers to the case-by-case assessment. “In particular, potentially threatening dangers in the event of a return are taken into account,” emphasized a spokesman when asked by the APA. In principle, however, Austria encourages voluntary return – including that of Iranian citizens.
Faeser recently described the violence of the Iranian security forces against demonstrators who were protesting for freedom and against compulsory headscarves as “irresponsible”. The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) issued a travel warning for Iran on Tuesday due to “the ongoing protests and their violent suppression by the Iranian authorities”. The Foreign Ministry also urgently recommended that Austrians in Iran leave the country.
BMEIA travel warning
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the “sole presence of a travel warning from the BMEIA” is “not a decision criterion” for the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA). The target group of such travel warnings are Austrian nationals. “Therefore, no legal assessment of the threat situation for Iranian nationals can be made because of this,” said the spokesman.
The admissibility of a “deportation abroad” was “examined comprehensively and individually in a constitutional procedure in each individual case,” the interior ministry said. Since Iran generally does not allow deportations with reference to the Iranian constitution, no forced deportations have taken place in recent years. In principle, however, Austrians “always” encourage voluntary return. “Reintegration assistance is also available through the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for Iranian nationals who wish to return voluntarily.” In 2022, a total of 63 deportations of Iranian nationals took place by the end of August.
The unrest in Iran was triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini a good three weeks ago. The morality police had arrested her for allegedly violating the rules on wearing a headscarf. What happened to Amini after that is unclear. The woman falls into a coma and Stern on September 16 in a hospital. Critics accuse the authorities of using violence – the police reject this. Since the young woman’s death, thousands of people have been demonstrating across the country against the repressive course taken by the government and security forces, as well as against the Islamic system. Civil rights groups have died in the protests, more than 150 people have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested.