Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), has stated that France's engagement with the Taliban government to deport Afghan asylum seekers is a dangerous policy shift that contradicts France's human rights commitments.
In an article published on the HRW website on Tuesday, October 13, Abbasi stressed that this French policy puts Afghans living in the country at risk of persecution, torture, and other gross human rights violations.
According to her, France has confirmed that it has initiated "technical talks" with Taliban officials regarding the forced return of asylum seekers to Afghanistan. This move has raised serious concerns among human rights activists and the Afghan community in Europe.
The HRW researcher wrote with deep concern: "French officials say the scope of these talks is limited, but they have provided no guarantees to protect individuals at special risk, including women."
Fereshta Abbasi clarified that France's cooperation with the Taliban is occurring while the group is responsible for gross and systematic human rights violations in Afghanistan, especially the repression of women and girls. Therefore, returning individuals to such conditions could have deadly consequences.
The report adds that in addition to France, some other European countries, including Germany, have also begun engaging with the Taliban government for the forced return of Afghan asylum seekers. This trend indicates a worrying shift in European migration policies towards Afghans.
These policies contradict the repeated calls from human rights organizations and the United Nations to halt the forced deportation of asylum seekers to Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
Source: Human Rights Watch
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