On The repressive environment in Afghanistan, including public executions and violence against women

B90175/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on The repressive environment in Afghanistan, including public executions and violence against women

(2024/2617(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to its rule 144;

Whereas since their takeover on 15 August 2021, the Taliban have severely restricted the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls who have been virtually erased from public life;

Whereas the Taliban have resumed judicial executions, including publicly;

Whereas dozens of activists and protestors have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in relation to their defence of human rights;

Whereas minorities, such as the Hazaras, face growing repression and marginalization;

Whereas over half of the Afghan population is in need of humanitarian need, while the Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan continues to be grossly underfunded; whereas 6,3 million Afghans remain displaced;

Reiterates its grave concern about the humanitarian and human rights crises that continue to unfold in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover;

Expresses its continued outrage at the devastating policy of gender apartheid faced by Afghan women and girls; reiterates its demand that the Taliban immediately allow girls of all ages to attend school and receive education on an equal basis with boys, as well as stop subjecting women and their families to grave violations for merely exercising their rights;

Denounces the relentless targeting of human rights defenders, journalists and other civil society actors, LGBTIQ+ people, dissidents, judges, as well as the brutal repression of peaceful protest and expressions of dissent across the country;

Condemns, once again, the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, protestors and artists arbitrarily arrested, including Manizha Seddiqi, Ahmad Fahim Azimi, Seddiqullah Afghan, Fardin Fedayee and Ezatullah Zwab and calls for their immediate and unconditional release;

Denounces the resumption of judicial executions, including publicly, under the Taliban; calls for the immediate halt on all executions and the abolition of the death penalty and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments;

Urges the EU to step up its support to Afghan civil society groups, and to fund specific assistance and protection programmes for human rights defenders;

Urges the EU to step up its support to Afghan groups working to defend the rights of women and girls, including alternative education options;

Calls on the VP/HR to help launch a global initiative for ensuring accountability in Afghanistan, including by expanding EU restrictive measures against all entities and individuals responsible for these violations, and by establishing an independent investigative mechanism under the UN Human Rights Council;

Calls on the EU and the Member States to help address the acute humanitarian needs of the Afghan people, within and outside the country;

Urges Member States to ensure the long overdue evacuation of local Afghan staff still left behind;

Deeply regrets the systematic pushbacks that Afghans face at the EU external borders;

Insists on maintaining a strict conditional engagement with the Taliban in accordance to the five benchmarks set by the Council for engagement with the de facto authorities;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the relevant parties.