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

B100258/2026

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 150 (5) and Rule 136 (4) of its Rules of Procedure;

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whereas in January 2026, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have adopted a new Criminal Procedure Code for Courts that further entrenches discriminatory practices and institutionalises severe restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms;

whereas Afghan women and girls continue to face systematic exclusion from education, employment, political participation, public life and freedom of movement, amounting to one of the most serious women’s rights crises in the world leading to their exclusion from working in national and international organisations, including in sectors essential to humanitarian assistance;

whereas several of the Code’s provisions embed discriminatory and punitive rules that disproportionately harm religious minorities, thereby institutionalizing repression and further restrict the right to freedom of religion and belief;

whereas the new Code raises grave concerns regarding access to justice, due process guarantees, equal treatment before the law and the increased risk of arbitrary detention, corporal punishment and directed persecution towards women, thus normalizing violence and creating conditions that heighten women’s vulnerability to abuse while further restricting their freedoms;

whereas the erasure of women from public and institutional life has deprived Afghan women and girls of meaningful representation, legal protection and independent avenues for redress increasing their vulnerability to poverty, forced marriage, trafficking and exploitation;

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Strongly condemns the adoption of the Taliban’s Criminal Procedure Code for Courts and expresses deep concern that it further institutionalises gender-based and religion-based discrimination and repression in Afghanistan;

Calls on the Taliban authorities to end the violence against women and girls, to immediately repeal all laws, decrees and practices that discriminate against women and girls and to restore full, equal and meaningful access to education, employment, healthcare and justice, while upholding international humanitarian law;

Urges the authorities to respect the right to freedom of religion and belief and to protect minority groups, including Hazara Shi’a, Christians, Sikhs, and others;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches Afghan women and girls directly and is delivered in ways that preserve their dignity, safety and agency;

Support international efforts to monitor and document human rights abuses and hold the Taliban accountable, particularly for violations against women, ethnic, and religious minorities.

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