In view of the latest, tragic event of a young girl being killed by asylum seekers, the debate about asylum and migration has restarted in Austria. So far the political parties do not seem to be able to find a solution to the problem. Last week the Green Party, the junior partner of the ÖVP (People’s Party) in the current federal government, claimed that changes in the laws regarding the expulsion of people from Afghanistan should be considered. Their argument was that this country would be too insecure and unstable to send people back because of the local civil war. The ÖVP has refused those claims though.
Then, last weekend, a cruel murder in Vienna provoked fierce debate about delinquent asylum seekers: a 13-year-old girl was found leaning on a tree in Wien-Donaustadt. She had been strangled during the night before Saturday. The main suspects are three asylum seekers from Afghanistan, 16 and 18 years old. A fourth, 22-year-old Afghan is supposed to have been involved in the murder as well. According to the accusations, they had administered drugs to the girl and abused her sexually, before killing her and getting rid of her dead body. The 18- and 22-year-old Afghans have been in Austria since 2015 and are said to have already come into conflict with the law several times during this time (drug commerce, assault, dealing with stolen goods, etc.). Both received a prison sentence and their asylum status was rejected by the government. However, the Afghans lodged an appeal against this decision and their cases are still pending, which is why they are still in Austria.
This horrific incident has reinforced the position of the ÖVP, namely that serious offenders cannot be granted asylum but should be deported. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called the murder in Vienna “barbaric“ and promised to do everything possible to punish the perpetrators severely. He said that it was intolerable that people searching for protection in our country would commit serious crimes and be allowed to stay. Representatives of the Green Party claimed, however, that Afghanistan would not be a safe place to send anyone back and rather considered the recent murder as male violence rather than merely a crime committed by asylum seekers.
Meanwhile, the Opposition feels that all this can be attributed to our government failing once again. The Socialist Party (SPÖ) maintains that delinquent asylum seekers should not “run free“ in Austria. Herbert Kickl, the new party leader of the right-wing FPÖ (Freedom Party), even demands a “compulsion offensive“ to Afghanistan. Further, he claims that in the case of an asylum seeker committing serious offences, asylum processes should be stopped and such poeple should be deprived immediately of their status.
To conclude, the need to reform the Austrian asylum system is evident, as only then can cases like the murder of the 13-year-old girl Leonie be prevented.
by Hohensinner Johannes, 6dk
English School Newspaper 