What changed

B90172/2024

P9_TA(2024)0160

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

(2024/2617(RSP))

PE760.486

European Parliament resolution of 14 March 2024 on the repressive environment in Afghanistan, including public executions and violence against women (2024/2617(RSP))

The European Parliament,

-– having regard to Rule 144 of its Rulesprevious ofresolutions Procedure,on Afghanistan,

Whereas since August 2021, the Taliban have publicly executed five people, three of them last month;

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

Whereas the Taliban’s violations of women’s human rights may amount to gender apartheid and to crimes against humanity on the grounds of gender persecution; whereas the oppressive environment that confines women and girls to their homes heightens their vulnerability to male violence; whereas the Taliban dismantled nationwide support systems for victims of violence against women; whereas the Taliban are imprisoning survivors in inhumane conditions, allegedly for their protection, which harms the their mental and physical health and would amount to an arbitrary deprivation of liberty;

A. whereas since taking over the country the Taliban have dismantled the judicial system, ordered judges to fully implement Sharia and resumed public executions and cruel punishments such as flogging and stoning; whereas five public executions have since taken place with thousands in attendance;

Strongly condemns the recent executions in Afghanistan; reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty in all cases and under all circumstances; calls on the de facto authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on any further executions, as a step towards its abolition; urges them to ensure due process and halt the use of torture;

B. whereas the Taliban have virtually erased women and girls from public life; whereas restrictions on their rights include barring their access to work, travel and healthcare without a male relative, banning education beyond sixth grade, denying access to public places and sports, violently enforcing a strict dress code and dismantling the support system for victims of violence;

Calls on the de facto authorities to combat violence against women in Afghanistan, and to ensure accountability of perpetrators without delay; calls on the de facto authorities to reopen the nationwide support system for victims, and ensure avenues to seek shelter, medical care, legal recourse and reparations;

C. whereas minorities, such as the Hazaras and Tajiks, face growing repression and discrimination;

Calls on the de facto authorities to stop subjecting women and girls to arbitrary arrest, detention, enforced disappearances and torture, including for alleged non-compliance with Islamic dress codes, their activism or their journalistic work;

1. Expresses its grave concern about the humanitarian and human rights crises in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover; recalls Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations; reiterates its unwavering commitment to the Afghan people and to upholding their rights and freedoms secured over the past 20 years;

Strongly condemns the devastating rollback of women’s rights in Afghanistan; urges the de facto authorities to reverse restrictions on the rights of women and girls in line with Afghanistan’s international obligations, and to reopen the Ministry of Women’s Affairs;

2. Condemns the Taliban’s radical interpretation and enforcement of Sharia and the attempted erasure of women and girls from public life, which amounts to gender persecution and gender apartheid; calls for the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in public life to be immediately restored, particularly their access to education and work; commends the courage of Afghanistan’s women and stands in solidarity with them;

Expresses grave concern about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which disproportionately affects women and girls; deplores that it drives violent practices, such as forced marriage and sexual exploitation; calls on the EU to increase its humanitarian aid for Afghanistan;

3. Calls on the de facto Afghan authorities to reopen the nationwide support system for victims of violence against women and girls, and to ensure ways of seeking shelter, medical care, legal recourse and reparations;

Condemns the disastrous legacy of decades of international intervention and illegal occupations, including by NATO, which have led Afghanistan to its present circumstances; reiterates its support for the ICC investigation into the international crimes committed by all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan; calls on the ICC to prioritize and accelerate the delivery of justice for victims; calls on the EU and its Member States to support this investigation and ensure that the ICC has the necessary resources;

4. Calls for victims of violence against women and girls to be released from prison, where they are being held in inhumane conditions to the detriment of their mental and physical health;

Calls on the EU to facilitate the safe and legal resettlement of Afghans at risk, including by protecting them against refoulement and mistreatment and by increasing humanitarian visas, particularly for women and girls; calls on the EU Member States to support the application of the Temporary Protection Directive for Afghans seeking international protection;

5. Urges the de facto Afghan authorities to abolish capital punishment and immediately halt public executions, other cruel or inhuman punishments and its discrimination against and barbaric persecution of women and girls, and LGBTIQ+, ethnic and religious minorities, in particular;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Member States, the de facto authorities of Afghanistan, the ICC, the UN and NATO.

6. Condemns the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, including Manizha Seddiqi, Ahmad Fahim Azimi, Sediqullah Afghan, Fardin Fedayee and Ezatullah Zwab; calls for their immediate and unconditional release;

7. Insists on maintaining strictly conditional engagement with the Taliban based on the five benchmarks set by the Council and the UN Special Rapporteur’s recommendations;

8. Supports Afghan civil society’s calls to hold the de facto authorities accountable for their crimes, particularly through the International Criminal Court investigation, by establishing a UN Independent Investigative Mechanism and expanding EU restrictive measures;

9. Urges the EU and Member States to increase humanitarian aid and funding to support basic needs and livelihoods and Afghan civil society; urges Member States to issue humanitarian visas to persecuted women and human rights defenders and to finish evacuating local Afghan staff left behind;

10. Calls on the international community and, in particular, regional actors to maintain pressure on the de facto Afghan authorities; highlights that the forced return of Afghans puts them at risk;

11. 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, the Member States, the UN and the de facto Afghan authorities.