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German top court says Afghan admission pledges cannot be revoked en masse

By Thomson Reuters Jul 24, 2026 | 2:56 AM

BERLIN, July 24 (Reuters) – Germany’s top court on Friday ​ruled that a ‌blanket cancellation of promised places for Afghans in a special ‌intake ​programme was ⁠arbitrary and ⁠must be reconsidered case by case.

The Federal Constitutional Court backed ​a complaint by an Afghan ⁠mother and ⁠her two minor ​sons, who had ​been told in 2021 ‌they would be admitted to Germany under the “human rights ⁠list” scheme.

The judges said the Interior Ministry’s December ⁠2025 ‌order voiding ⁠about 640 such ​promises ‌without looking at ​each ⁠person breached the constitutional ban on arbitrariness.

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle, Editing by Miranda ​Murray)