As part of a charter repatriation organized by Germany, 33 Nigerian nationals were handed over to authorities in Lagos, nine of them from Austria. This was reported by the Ministry of the Interior on Thursday. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) coordinated the return.
According to the Interior Ministry, this was Austria’s sixth “charter operation” this year. “Individual repatriations are also carried out regularly,” it said.
Asylum procedure legally and negatively completed
In addition to Austria and Germany, Poland also took part in the operation, according to the Ministry of the Interior. In the case of all persons repatriated from Austria, “the individual case was examined in detail in a constitutional procedure and the asylum procedure was ultimately concluded negatively”. If people without a right of residence do not voluntarily leave Austria within a certain period of time, the Federal Immigration Office (BFA) “executes the forced eviction”.
All states are “fundamentally obliged to take back their nationals”. Therefore, a bilateral intergovernmental agreement on readmission between Austria and Nigeria has been in existence since 2012.
multiple violations
In the current charter, three people have been “criminally and legally convicted during their stay in Germany”. According to the Interior Ministry, the offenses include bodily harm, resistance to state authority and violations of the Narcotics Act. Convicted criminals will be deported “as soon as possible after the prison sentence in Austria has been served”.
Kriitk and Frontex
Frontex was established in 2004. According to its own statements, the Warsaw-based agency promotes, coordinates and develops European border management in accordance with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the concept of integrated border management. NGOs have repeatedly criticized the EU agency’s approach. In late July, the “Spiegel” and “Le Monde” reported on a secret report by the anti-fraud authority Olaf, which accused Frontex of deliberately turning a blind eye when the Greek coast guard drove refugees back at sea.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
