Global Rights Groups Urge EU to Shun Taliban Amid Brussels Visit Concerns

A coalition of 82 international organizations, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has expressed grave concern over a potential visit by a Taliban delegation to Brussels in June, urging the European Union to refrain from establishing political and diplomatic ties with the Afghan regime.

In a joint statement, the human rights groups argued that the Taliban are not representatives of the Afghan people and did not come to power through any participatory or representative process. They emphasized that the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders for gender-based persecution.

The organizations also noted that numerous members of the Taliban are on the EU’s own sanctions list. Any official contact with the delegation on European soil would have serious legal and political repercussions, potentially leading to the recognition of their “illegal government,” the statement warned.

According to the coalition, providing a platform to the Taliban regime would be equivalent to suppressing the voices of millions of people in Afghanistan.