Swiss broadcaster SRF has reported that four officials from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) visited Geneva recently to help identify Afghan nationals for deportation from Switzerland.

The visit, organized by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), aimed to facilitate the repatriation of convicted Afghan criminals and voluntary returnees.

SEM spokesperson Daniel Bach said that human rights are not respected under the IEA rule, but the Swiss government prioritizes public safety. “We found that protecting the population outweighed all else,” he said.

Last year, Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans decided that convicted Afghan criminals should be deported after their prison sentences had expired, with a judicial deportation order. By the end of last year, five such deportations had taken place. However, according to the SEM, deportations stalled after the IEA began requiring that travel documents be issued solely by authorities in Kabul, no longer accepting documents from the Afghan Embassy in Bern.

To move forward, the Afghan delegation spent two days at Geneva Airport—without leaving the transit zone—where they worked to confirm the identities of 13 individuals, including 11 convicted offenders. Most identifications were successful, and preparations for deportation are underway.