Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has clear words about the situation in Iran. In a statement on January 9, he condemned the regime’s actions. Together with the French President and British Prime Minister, he demands that the authorities grant freedom of expression and allow peaceful gatherings. The heads of government condemned the regime’s violence and said the basic rights of Iranian citizens must be protected.
Currently fight and demonstrate People in Iran for their freedom, the regime brutally suppresses the mass protests for their hold on power. But the condemnation of Chancellor Merz is not yet reflected in German asylum policy.
In 2025, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) still rejected the majority of asylum applications from people from Iran. 7,253 of a total of 11,626 asylum applications were rejected. According to BAMF statistics, the protection rate is only 22.8 percent. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, a total of 17 deportations from Germany to Iran took place last year up to and including November 2025.
The SPD does not seem to be satisfied with this practice either. In a recently published position paper, she calls for a stop to deportations for humanitarian reasons. “From our point of view, given the massive human rights violations, no one can be deported to Iran at the moment,” said the SPD parliamentary group’s spokesperson for the migration and integration working group, Rasha Nasr, to the taz.
The SPD’s position paper questions the political legitimacy of the regime. Humanitarian visas are therefore needed again for particularly vulnerable people from Iran. These are issued by a national embassy abroad for entry into the respective country for a humanitarian purpose.
The voices for a nationwide stop to deportations are becoming louder and louder. In an open letter, several activists, including: Daniela Sepherus and Duzen Tekkal: “Germany must impose an immediate stop on deportations to Iran and must offer protection to persecuted activists, journalists and human rights defenders.”
Karl Kopp from Pro Asyl sees it similarly. A nationwide deportation stop would lead to enormous security for those seeking protection from Iran, he emphasized in an interview with the taz.
The refugee policy spokeswoman for the Left Party, Clara Bungeraccuses the federal government of double standards. She criticizes that it cannot be the case that members of the governing parties on the one hand condemn the repression in Iran and on the other hand deport them. Depending on how the situation develops, the federal government should open up escape routes for those being persecuted from Iran.
Luise Amtberg, representative for human rights policy and humanitarian aid in the Green Party parliamentary group, also calls for a stop to deportations and more protection for people who are being politically persecuted by the Iranian regime.
Rhineland-Palatinate passed a deportation stop at the state level on Wednesday. This initially applies for three months before it can be extended again with the approval of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI). It remains to be seen whether other countries will join or whether a nationwide stop will be imposed.