Unprecedented increase in negative responses to Iranian asylum applications in Germany
Statistics published by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees indicate that the majority of Iranian asylum applications in the country are not accepted. Only a quarter of Iranian asylum seekers in 2018 were granted a positive response.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in Germany (Bamf) has published statistics on the acceptance rate of Iranian asylum applications in the country. Statistics clearly indicate a sharp decrease in the number of cases where Iranian asylum applications are approved.
On Tuesday, March 12, the German news agency published a report stating that in 2018, less than a quarter of Iranian asylum seekers were successful in receiving a positive response from the authorities processing their asylum applications in Germany.
The German Catholic News Agency (KNA) also wrote in this regard that only a small number of Iranians who applied for asylum last year received German support and received the right to reside and work.
Asylum seekers' complaints
In 2018, a total of 11,430 Iranian citizens applied for asylum in Germany. According to statistics published by the aforementioned office, only 2,619 of these applicants were granted a positive response.
The figures are scheduled to be published on Tuesday by newspapers affiliated with the Funke Media Group. The figures on Iranians seeking asylum in Germany were requested by the Left Party faction in Germany, and the German Interior Ministry and the German Migration and Asylum Service have published them in response to the party's request.
According to the same statistics, the aforementioned office refused to accept the asylum applications of more than 5,000 Iranians in 2018. About 4,000 other Iranian applicants either left Germany or withdrew their asylum applications before they were processed.
In addition, many Iranians have appealed against rulings issued by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. About half of the Iranians who were granted asylum in Germany last year were those who appealed against the ruling issued by this office and then received a positive response.
The Left Party faction in the German parliament (Bundestag) has criticized the government's policy towards asylum seekers from Iran. They believe that the unprecedented increase in the number of negative responses to Iranian asylum applications is a clear sign of the shortcomings in the handling of asylum cases by the said administration.
A report by the German Catholic News Agency states that, according to assessments by human rights organizations, many anti-regime forces, Christians, and LGBT people continue to be pressured by the Iranian government.
According to these reports, the use of torture and the imposition of many restrictions on followers of other religions are among the policies pursued by the Iranian legal and political system, a trend that has intensified forty years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Source: DW
