The previous consul general, Hamid Nangialay Kabiri, and his staff had already resigned in protest at the end of September. In a video message, Kabiri criticized the fact that the German government had allowed two Taliban diplomats from Kabul into the country as official representatives of Afghanistan.
According to information from ARD, they are said to have been approved for consular tasks and also given the task of assisting with the deportation of Afghan criminals.
Access to confidential data?
The takeover is particularly controversial because of the data stored in the consulate. According to the ARD report, the servers in Bonn contain extensive digital files from various Afghan embassies and consulates general - including institutions that have so far refused to cooperate with the Taliban.
According to the report, the information stored includes personal data, passport applications, birth and marriage certificates and correspondence, which also contains data on Afghans in Germany and Europe.
Human rights activists warn that this information could now fall into the hands of the Taliban. There is a risk that the Taliban's secret service (GDI) could identify opposition Afghans abroad and put pressure on their relatives in Afghanistan.
Afghan diplomats warn German government
As ARD further reports, the German government had already received a confidential letter from several Afghan diplomats in February 2025 warning of precisely this scenario. In a further letter dated July 2025, the signatories are said to have again called for the handover of the consulate general to Taliban representatives to be prevented.
According to ARD, both letters pointed out the danger, as the servers contained "millions of confidential correspondence and personal files of Afghan citizens". Despite this information, the Federal Foreign Office allowed the diplomats sent by the Taliban access.
When asked by ARD, the ministry explained that it did not officially recognize the Taliban government, but had to take into account the "legally binding" dismissal of the previous Consul General Kabiri by the Foreign Ministry in Kabul.
What does this mean for Afghans in Germany?
In the Afghan community in Germany, concerns about the protection of personal data are now likely to grow. Anyone who has visited Afghan consulates or embassies in recent years to apply for documents must fear that sensitive information is now in the hands of Taliban representatives. According to observers, opposition members, journalists, women's rights activists and former government employees are particularly at risk.
According to Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), the German government wants to negotiate with the Taliban on the repatriation of Afghan nationals. Dobrindt recently told The Pioneer platform that the talks are already "well advanced".
In the coalition agreement, the German government agreed to allow deportations again - particularly to countries such as Afghanistan and Syria. According to the government, priority will initially be given to dangerous individuals and convicted criminals.
The information in this article is based on an exclusive report by ARD and Tagesschau.
