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

B90193/2024

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 regards to its previous resolutions on Afghanistan,

- having regard to Rule 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. Whereas human rights violations are being reported daily in Afghanistan, including arrests, detention, abduction, torture, threats, extortion, killings and attacks; whereas there continues to be a complete lack of accountability for such violations;

B. Whereas women and girls have faced growing restrictions to their fundamental rights since the Taliban takeover, in particular in access to education as of 7 grade, mobility and employment; whereas women have been virtually erased from all spheres of public life;

C. whereas the Taliban banned Afghan women from working for non-governmental organisations and the UN; whereas this policy has hindered humanitarian efforts but also the organisations’ ability to engage with women in person, monitor humanitarian impact and facilitate women’s access to information;

D. whereas women and girls are recently being arrested and detained because of alleged violations of the strict dress code (hijab) imposed by the Taliban; whereas these arrests disproportionately target ethnic minorities, in particular Hazara and Tajiks;

F. Whereas a public execution of three people at a sports stadium took place two weeks ago in the cities of Ghazni and Shebergham; whereas the convicted individuals were reportedly shot multiple times; since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021 five people were publically executed;

1.Deeply deplores the continuing deterioration of the political, economic, humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of August 2021;

2.Condemns that the Taliban have been steadily increasing their discriminatory restrictions on women and girls, while continuing their draconian crackdown on any form of dissent; alarms that this situation currently qualifies as gender apartheid; condemns the harsh penalties for non-compliance with the strict dress code; expresses outrage that the disrespect for the fundamental rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are unparalleled in the world;

3.Demands from the de facto authorities of Afghanistan that all gender-based restrictions on women are lifted and that they can again actively participate in public life; stresses that this must be a key condition for any engagement of the international community with the Taliban; urges the EU to step up its support to Afghan groups working to defend the rights of women and girls;

4.Denounces the continuing implementation of public executions by the de facto Taliban authorities; demands that these public displays of cruelty and disregard for human life must cease immediately; calls on the de facto authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on capital punishment as a step towards its abolition;

5.Calls on the EU and Member States to support the establishment of an international accountability mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of serious violations in Afghanistan for future criminal proceedings;

6.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the EU Special Envoy to Afghanistan.