Afghanistan, Aug. 11 -- German pastor Gottfried Martens says he will go to jail rather than surrender three Afghan converts facing deportation, defending church asylum amid a Berlin-Hamburg political dispute.
A dispute between Berlin and Hamburg has intensified over church asylum granted to three Afghan men who converted to Christianity in Sweden and now face possible deportation.
The men left Sweden in 2024 after authorities pressured them to return to Afghanistan, where they say their lives would be at risk. Instead of complying with EU Dublin rules requiring their return to Sweden, they sought refuge in Berlin's Trinity Church, the largest Farsi-speaking Christian congregation in Germany.
Hamburg's mayor has accused Berlin of "systema...