Germany Studying Ways to Deport Syrian Criminals, Extremists

Refugees from Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan wait at the first registration point for migrants in southern Germany, September 2015 (Getty Images)
Refugees from Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan wait at the first registration point for migrants in southern Germany, September 2015 (Getty Images)
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Germany Studying Ways to Deport Syrian Criminals, Extremists

Refugees from Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan wait at the first registration point for migrants in southern Germany, September 2015 (Getty Images)
Refugees from Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan wait at the first registration point for migrants in southern Germany, September 2015 (Getty Images)

The German Interior Ministry is studying different ways to deport Syrian criminals and extremists.

State Secretary Helmut Teichmann told the German Press Agency that the ministry had examined various options since the conference of interior ministers in autumn 2020, including the possibility of deporting criminals and people who have given a false identity to “parts of the country that are not controlled by the Syrian army.”

Teichmann said they are also considering whether to exempt convicted Syrians serving their remaining sentence.

"The prerequisite for this is, of course, in each individual case that the public prosecutor agrees."

According to The Federal Ministry of Interior, 347 Syrians received financial support from Germany in 2019 to return home.

Last year, despite the coronavirus pandemic, 83 people returned to Syria with state aid. In the first five months of this year, 42 Syrians also received helped to return.



Türkiye Blocks Access to Instagram

FILED - 17 May 2016, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: The Instagram logo is seen on an Apple iPhone 6. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
FILED - 17 May 2016, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: The Instagram logo is seen on an Apple iPhone 6. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
TT

Türkiye Blocks Access to Instagram

FILED - 17 May 2016, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: The Instagram logo is seen on an Apple iPhone 6. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
FILED - 17 May 2016, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: The Instagram logo is seen on an Apple iPhone 6. Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa

Türkiye’s communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which regulates the internet, announced the decision early Friday but did not provide a reason.

Yeni Safak newspaper, which is close to the government, and other media said access was blocked in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

“Sanctions for Instagram’s blackout policy were swift. The Information Technologies and Communication Authority blocked access to Instagram,” Yeni Safak stated in its online edition.

It came days after Fahrettin Altun, the presidential communications director and aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, strongly criticized the Meta-owned platform for preventing users in Türkiye from posting messages of condolences for Haniyeh.

Instagram has over 50 million users in Türkiye, a nation with a population of 85 million.

Türkiye is observing a day of mourning for Haniyeh on Friday, during which flags are being flown at half-staff.