KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the European Commission to cancel plans to invite Taliban representatives to Brussels, warning that such engagement could legitimize a group that continues to restrict media freedoms in Afghanistan.
In a statement on Monday, CPJ said the Taliban has shut down independent media outlets, jailed journalists, and imposed severe censorship since returning to power in Afghanistan. It added that journalists now operate in fear, while much of the local media has been turned into propaganda tools for the group.
“It is outrageous that, as the Taliban attacks the media, the European Commission extends an invitation to Brussels,” said Tom Gibson, CPJ’s deputy advocacy director, EU.
“By doing so, it legitimizes a regime responsible for severe repression and censorship and strengthens its public relations as an international player. The European Commission must scrap such plans.”
The European Commission is reportedly preparing to host Taliban representatives for “technical talks” focused on the deportation of rejected Afghan asylum seekers and Afghan nationals convicted of crimes in European Union member states. Officials have described the discussions as administrative in nature, aimed at managing migration-related issues.
While the EU does not formally recognize the Taliban administration, the reported invitation has triggered sharp criticism from human rights organizations, United Nations experts, Afghan activists, and several members of the European Parliament. Critics argue that even limited or technical engagement could amount to indirect political legitimization of Taliban rule and undermine EU human rights principles.
Social democratic and left-wing groups in the European Parliament have been particularly vocal. Iratxe García, president of the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, condemned the initiative, arguing that ordinary Afghans should not pay the price for Taliban policies.
“If we legitimize those who implement gender apartheid, then we are not defending our values — we are betraying them,” García said. She pointed to the Taliban’s restrictions barring most girls from secondary and higher education and severe limitations on women’s freedom of movement, effectively confining many to their homes. “Today, when the cameras are off, they invite the Taliban to Brussels. The same Taliban who deny girls education. The same Taliban who imprison women in their homes.”
EU lawmaker Hannah Neumann also criticized the initiative, describing it as “rolling out the red carpet for the Taliban in Brussels.” She said linking cooperation on deportations to engagement with the group was “a recipe for disaster,” and warned that returning Afghan nationals under current conditions would be both a humanitarian failure and a strategic mistake that could further entrench Taliban control.
Afghanistan’s media landscape has deteriorated markedly under Taliban rule. The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) recorded 207 media rights violations during the solar year 1404 (March 2025 to March 2026), including two journalists killed, one injured, 183 threats, and 21 arrests — an increase of more than 20% compared with the previous year.
The country ranked 175th out of 180 in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, placing it among the worst countries globally for press freedom.
