World News | Germany Launches New Programme to Help At-risk Afghans

Berlin, Oct 17 (AP) The German government said Monday that it is launching a new programme to help to bring about 1,000 people who are at risk of persecution in Afghanistan to Germany each month.

The programme is part of an agreement between the three governing parties. It provides a formal structure for the way German authorities were already handling applications from Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover last year.

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Officials said the programme is aimed at Afghan citizens who are at risk because of their work for women's and human rights. Also eligible are journalists, scientists, political activists, judges educators and those persecuted for their gender, sexual orientation or religion.

Germany has given refuge to about 26,000 people from Afghanistan since August 2021. Many of those had previously worked for the German military or police during their deployment in Afghanistan.

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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the new humanitarian relocation programme is intended to give those persecuted by the Taliban “a bit of home and the chance of a free, self-determined and secure life”.

She acknowledged that it would be a “mammoth task” to implement the programme, including safely getting applicants from Afghanistan to Germany.

“But we won't let up,” she said.

Applicants will need to be nominated for the programme by civil society groups approved by the German government. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)