Taliban officials questioned deportees in Vienna without Pashto interpreter, Profil reports

Taliban representatives questioned Afghans facing deportation during a visit to Vienna, but Austrian police did not bring in a Pashto interpreter, according to documents reviewed by Profil.

The delegation came to Austria about a year ago to support the country’s asylum authorities with deportations to Afghanistan. Its task was to establish the identity and nationality of Afghans required to leave the country, including people with criminal convictions, so the necessary travel documents could be issued.

Protocols from the visit are available to Profil. Austria’s Interior Ministry maintains that the interviews were subsequently reviewed in English or Dari. The report concerns cooperation between Austrian authorities and representatives of Afghanistan’s Taliban administration over deportations.