What changed

B90193/2024

B90172/2024

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

(2024/2617(RSP))

The European Parliament,

- having regardsregard to itsRule previous144 resolutionsof onits Afghanistan,Rules of Procedure,

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

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

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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.

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.