KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, says that reports about the European Union hosting Taliban officials for talks on the deportation of migrants to Afghanistan are deeply concerning.
Mr. Bennett wrote today (Wednesday, April 22) on X: “Any returns risk breaching the principle of non-refoulement due to widespread human rights violations including against women, human rights defenders and former public servants.”
Agence France-Presse reported that a Taliban technical delegation is expected to travel to Brussels in the coming weeks to discuss the deportation of migrants from the European Union to Afghanistan.
According to the report, this trip is being coordinated by the European Commission and several member states.
However, the AFP report added that no invitation has yet been sent to the Taliban delegation.
European countries are trying to find ways to deport migrants, especially criminal migrants, to Afghanistan.
Around 20 European countries are currently exploring ways to deport Afghan migrants, particularly those who have committed crimes.
In a related development reported seven months earlier, Germany had also confirmed holding talks with the Taliban to facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals from its territory.
According to Deutsche Welle (DW), German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had stated that delegations had engaged in “technical discussions” with Taliban authorities in Qatar and that further meetings were planned to establish a system for “regular” deportations to Afghanistan.
The announcement had followed Germany’s deportation of 81 Afghan nationals in July, marking the first such operation under Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government after years of suspension due to Afghanistan’s security situation following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
At the time, rights groups and Afghan diaspora organizations had strongly criticized the decision, warning that returnees could face persecution or severe economic hardship.
The European Commission is preparing to host the Taliban technical delegation while its member states have not officially recognized the Taliban government and have repeatedly expressed concern over the human rights situation in Afghanistan.
This development highlights the complex balance European countries are attempting to strike between migration control and political legitimacy, as engagement with the Taliban on practical issues continues despite ongoing concerns over governance, human rights, and international recognition.
This situation has triggered significant debate among human rights organizations and legal experts, who warn that engaging with the Taliban on deportation arrangements could normalize relations with a government accused of serious human rights abuses and may undermine international protection standards for vulnerable Afghan asylum seekers.
