On Reports of the European Commission's Plan to Host Taliban from Afghanistan

Accountability Watch Afghanistan (AWA) is deeply concerned about reports that the European Commission is considering inviting a Taliban delegation for discussions regarding the deportation of Afghanistan's nationals from European Union countries to Afghanistan.

Hosting a delegation from the Taliban regime – that has institutionalized violations of human rights, especially women's rights – with no respect for Afghanistan's obligations under international law, runs counter to the EU's benchmarks for engagement with Afghanistan^[1].

Since 2021, the Taliban has extensively enforced policies and practices that systematically repress women and girls, persecute marginalized groups and silence dissent. Reports of disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and public executions are widespread and well documented.

Engaging with the Taliban's gender apartheid regime at the European capital Brussels will only benefit the Taliban, bolstering their pursuit of international and domestic legitimacy, cross-border mobility, and enabling them to impose further restrictions on the people of Afghanistan.

Therefore, the label "technical team" should not be used as a diplomatic shroud to normalize a regime whose abuses have been systematic, cruel, and often deadly.

Regardless of individual legal backgrounds or immigration status, deporting nationals of Afghanistan to a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan puts them at risks of serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrest, torture, death and disappearance.

Increasing efforts by European countries – including Belgium, Sweden, Germany, and Austria – for deportations to Afghanistan amounts to a potential breach of international refugee law^[2], to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) including the principle of non-refoulement, which strictly prohibits states from returning or expelling individuals to a country where they face real risks.

In addition, while recognizing the importance of the critical assistance the EU provides for basic needs and livelihoods^[3] of the Afghan population to address the root causes of migration, AWA observes that this approach reduces migration to a material and economic issue, overlooking the fact that a dignified life is not possible under the Taliban. The current regime's system of repression is a major driver of the migration of Afghans, including to Europe.

Accountability Watch Afghanistan calls on the European Union member States to:

• Immediately cancel all planned invitations that enable members of Taliban's international mobility. This will demonstrate that the EU is not selective in denouncing violations of international human rights obligations. The EU must further follow the sanctions imposed against the Taliban by the European Council^[4] and the UN Security Council.
• Cease the practice of using technical issues as pretext to normalize unconditional engagements with the Taliban regime.
• Immediately halt all forced returns of Afghanistan's nationals where they will face imminent risks of persecution and violence. Even without such risks, they will have no prospect of a dignified life under the Taliban's system of repression.
• Enhance safe and legal pathways for Afghan migrants and refugees, including resettlement, humanitarian visas, and family reunification.
• Support the struggles of the people of Afghanistan, including the diaspora, for establishing an inclusive government and constitutional order.

We urge the European Commission and EU Member States to ensure that all actions and policies concerning Afghanistan remain fully consistent with international human rights and refugee law.

At a time of continued uncertainty and repression in Afghanistan, it is essential that the EU follows a principled, coherent, and rights-based approach that avoids unintended consequences and upholds its longstanding commitments to human rights and international protection.