On the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts

B100252/2026

European Parliament resolution on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts

(2026/2737(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Afghanistan,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas since August 2021 the Taliban have systematically dismantled the rights of women and girls, excluding them from education, employment, public life and access to justice; whereas UNESCO reports that 2.2 million girls remain banned from school;

B. whereas the Taliban’s Criminal Procedure Code for Courts further institutionalises repression by criminalising criticism of Taliban authorities, compelling the reporting of dissent, restricting religious freedom and granting broad discretionary powers to judges;

C. whereas UN Women, OHCHR, Amnesty International and Afghan civil society organisations warn that the new code deepens the justice gap for women and girls and legitimises violence and discrimination against them;

D. whereas the code reportedly recognises only “excessive” beating as domestic violence (maximum penalty 15 days detention), thereby denying effective legal protection to women and girls subjected to abuse;

E. whereas women judges, prosecutors and lawyers have been removed from the justice system, leaving women and girls without meaningful judicial remedies or protection;

F. whereas the UN, the European Parliament and international human rights experts have characterised the Taliban’s policies as gender persecution and gender apartheid;

G. whereas the ICC has issued arrest warrants against senior Taliban leaders for crimes against humanity based on gender persecution;

H. whereas reports that the Commission’s invitation of Taliban representatives to Brussels in the context of migration discussions undermines the EU’s credibility as a defender of human rights and women’s rights;

I. whereas OHCHR and human rights organisations documented serious abuses against forcibly returned Afghans, in particular women and girls;

Strongly condemns the Taliban’s systematic oppression of women and girls and its adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts, which entrenches gender-based apartheid and suppresses fundamental freedoms;

Strongly criticises the Commission for inviting Taliban representatives to Brussels; stresses that legitimising a regime responsible for crimes against women and girls fundamentally contradicts the EU’s values and human rights commitments;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to refrain from any action that could lead to the de facto recognition of the Taliban regime;

Opposes deportations or forced returns of women and others protected by the principle of non-refoulement to Afghanistan; stresses that Afghanistan cannot be considered a safe country, especially for women and girls living under a system of gender apartheid;

Calls on the Member States to guarantee international protection for Afghan women and girls, particularly human rights defenders, judges, journalists, academics and former public officials;

Strongly condemns the Taliban’s brutal repression of media freedom including arbitrary journalist detentions, torture and discriminatory curbs on women journalists;

Welcomes international accountability efforts, including ICC proceedings concerning crimes against humanity, and reiterates its call for the recognition of gender apartheid under international law;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the United Nations and the de facto authorities of Afghanistan.