Nerve war at Zurich Airport: Deport of the last minute exciting!

Nerve war at Zurich Airport: Deport of the last minute exciting!

in the middle of a cold Zurich night, directly at the airport, the Zurich cantonal police are preparing for a complex mission. 13 Iraqi citizens are to be removed. A report from Zurich Airport shows the significantly tense situation and challenge with which operations manager Josef Lisibach and his team are faced with: strong men who try to prevent returns to their homeland by all means. A really risky undertaking, because like Daniel Fritzsche have already been reported in the past, where there have been numerous occurrences in which there were delicate situations.

in the middle of the night, in an inconspicuous barrack, around 50 Zurich police officers frolic. Nobody could sleep further because the upcoming deportation demands the highest concentration. 13 men from the cantons of Aargau, Bern, Graubünden, Vaud, Ticino and Zurich have to go back to Baghdad. But not calm and unnoticed - it is a special order in which the asylum system comes into play in its strictest form.

Adió's freedom - a long farewell

The cool autumn air is loaded: the police are looking into the room when the first rejected arrives. It becomes particularly critical as soon as the men who are anything but willing to cooperate have to be physically resisted and secured under compulsion with loops and straps. Nine of the thirteen Iraqis were legally convicted in Switzerland for crimes - no easy clientele for the team used on site.

In the meantime, the Zurich security director Mario Fehr also looks seriously: "These missions are emotionally charged top performance" - a sentence that shows the pressure under which the police have to work. And Fehr itself will not tire of emphasizing how important these actions are for the credibility of the entire asylum system.

high commitment for law and order

The whole logistics of the return is elaborate. How the NZZ illustrated, it is not only police officers, but also doctors and anti-torture observers who are integrated until the early hours of the morning to guarantee smooth implementation. The use of the "Kerberos Belts" as a security measure illustrates the seriousness of the situation: a special system that ensures discomfort in amazed observers.

final departure without major incidents

After a night full of tension, it is around 7 a.m.: One after the other the Iraqi get on the aircraft of the Turkish airline "Freebird" - an ironic name in view of the situation. The booming engines of the aircraft announce the early departure, while the head of operations Lisibach breathes a sigh of relief. The last hours have been without much incident, the mission is fulfilled. Shortly before getting in, one of the men looks back - however, the view remains a mystery.

The day ends without any noteworthy incidents. "We did our job," is the sober conclusion of the security director Fehr. With a feeling of relief and under the impression of an emotionally charged assignment, the police are looking forward to the emerging daylight. The 13 men will soon arrive in Baghdad - the emotions will remain here, here, in the Swiss cold.