Delay in Deportation of a Yazidi Family: Bund Postpones Initial Action
In a shocking turn of events, a Yazidi family consisting of two parents and four young children was forcibly deported from Germany to Iraq in July 2025, despite a court ruling from the Potsdam Administrative Court that legally halted their removal. This family had fled genocide by ISIS in Iraq in 2014 and had lived in Germany for several years, with the children fully integrated through school attendance.
The incident has sparked significant outrage and concerns about the increasing stringency of Germany’s deportation policies under the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. The Qassim family’s deportation is seen as emblematic of broader risks faced by Yazidis in Germany, many of whom also face deportation notices and live in fear of forced returns to a region still struggling with displacement and inadequate support.
Nadia’s Initiative, an organisation supporting survivors of violence and genocide rebuilding, has condemned the deportation as a violation of the court’s binding decision and called for an immediate review, the safe return of the family to Germany, and a moratorium on the deportation of Yazidis to Iraq. They emphasise the ongoing trauma faced by Yazidis who survived ISIS genocide and the moral and legal obligations to protect them, highlighting Germany’s prior recognition of these atrocities as genocide and its leadership role in resettlement and accountability efforts.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister René Wilke has also voiced support for bringing the family back to Germany, condemning the deportation as possibly illegal and emphasising the human and legal implications. The case has drawn broader criticism on German policies, especially given the timing of the court ruling which came too late to prevent the deportation, and the fact that the family’s integration and safety were severely undermined.
Students in Lychen, where the family had been living for several years, have started a petition for the return of their classmate and his family, with over 20,000 signatures on the Change platform. The Greens are calling for more protection for Yazidis, with the Green parliamentary group having a bill aimed at creating a perspective for staying and thus security for Yazidis.
The Administrative Court rejected the family's lawsuit against the rejection of their asylum application from 2023 as unfounded. The ministry spokeswoman stated that the Administrative Court has decided that the family does not have a claim to recognition of protection. However, the lawyer for the family is considering appealing the court's decision, and an urgent application for the return of the family is still open.
The Yezidi family, a religious minority, is still subject to continuous persecution, especially by the Kurdish rulers, according to Kareba Hagemann, a Yezidi herself. The Federal Ministry of the Interior currently intends to wait for further legal developments in the case. Brandenburg’s Interior Minister René Wilke announced that he would bring the family back quickly if the court decision stands, but the ministry currently sees no possibility for a return.
The incident has intensified calls for more protective measures for Yazidis in Germany, reflecting fears among the Yazidi diaspora about deportation and forced return to Iraq, where many survivors continue to face the legacy of ISIS violence and insecure living conditions. The deportations have increased rapidly under the current government coalition, raising broader concerns about asylum rights and refugee protections in Germany.
The Qassim family's deportation has prompted concerns within general-news circles about the escalating strictness of Germany's immigration policies under the Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt's administration, as the incident represents a broader risk for Yazidis in Germany. Nadia’s Initiative, which supports survivors of violence and genocide rebuilding, has publicly criticized the deportation as a breach of the court's binding decision and demanded an immediate review, the family's safe return to Germany, and a halt on Yazidi deportations to Iraq.
