United Nations human rights experts have called on European countries to refrain from normalizing relations with the Taliban until they lift the bans on girls' and women's education and demonstrate practical progress in human rights.
In a statement, the experts said that women and girls in Afghanistan face widespread and systematic gender-based persecution, which may amount to crimes against humanity. They emphasized that normalizing relations with the Taliban government under the current circumstances would mean ignoring these severe human rights violations.
The experts' report noted that in addition to women, ethnic and religious minorities, journalists, human rights defenders, and former members of the Afghan security forces also face threats such as torture, extrajudicial killings, and other serious abuses.
The experts also expressed deep concern over the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from European countries. They urged these nations to individually assess the safety risks for each Afghan asylum seeker before making a decision to return them.
According to the UN experts, no one should be returned to a country where their life and freedom are at serious risk. This principle of international law must be respected for all Afghan refugees.
The statement concluded by mentioning that the experts have officially contacted the European Union and the governments of several member states regarding this matter, sharing their concerns and awaiting a response and practical actions from them.
Source: UN Human Rights Experts
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