Germany deports second Syrian offender since fall of Al-Assad

Thursday 08 January 2026 - 11:30

By: Sahili Aya

Germany deports second Syrian offender since fall of Al-Assad

Germany has deported a second convicted Syrian criminal since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s stricter migration policy.

The 32-year-old man, who had multiple prior convictions for drug-related and violent offenses, was serving a prison sentence in Burg prison, Saxony-Anhalt. He was taken from prison to the airport and returned to Syria on Tuesday afternoon, according to officials.

A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry confirmed to the Bild newspaper that “another Syrian criminal was sent back to Syria today on a scheduled flight.”

Direct deportations to Syria had been suspended since 2011 due to the war that followed the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests by al-Assad’s regime. After al-Assad’s removal in December 2024, discussions about returning Syrian refugees intensified, though the previous centre-left government warned that conditions were not yet safe.

Since taking office in May 2025, Chancellor Merz’s conservative government has taken a tougher approach to migration, prioritizing deportations of convicted criminals, starting with Syria and Afghanistan.

The first deportation under this policy occurred shortly before Christmas, when a Syrian man from Gelsenkirchen, convicted of robbery, assault, and extortion, was sent back to his home country.