German authorities have deported a 32-year-old Syrian man to Damascus, marking the second such operation since the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
According to the German Press Agency (dpa), the man had repeatedly faced legal troubles and was convicted in 2020 of drug-related offenses and assault, receiving a multi-year prison sentence.
A spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry told Bild newspaper that “another Syrian criminal was returned to Syria today on a scheduled flight,” noting that the man had multiple convictions for violent and drug-related crimes.
The convict had been serving his sentence at Burg Prison in Saxony-Anhalt before being transferred to the airport. The deportation took place on Tuesday afternoon.
On December 23, 2025, the Interior Ministry carried out the first deportation of a convicted Syrian since the outbreak of the Syrian war nearly 15 years ago.
Germany had suspended direct deportations to Syria since 2011. After Assad’s ouster in December 2024, calls grew to repatriate Syrian refugees, though the then center-left government warned it was too early to judge the security situation.
Since the conservative government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May 2025, Berlin has adopted a tougher stance on migration, pledging to resume deportations to Syria and Afghanistan, starting with those convicted of criminal offenses.
Sources – Agencies
