We, a group of human rights activists, protest movements, civil society organizations, and Afghan diaspora networks, express our deep concern about two decisions recently taken by the German government:
- The intention to normalize political relations with the Taliba
- The plan to deport Afghan asylum seekers back to Afghanistan
These decisions clearly contradict Germany’s human rights values, its international obligations, and its moral responsibility toward the victims of war, gender apartheid, and persecution in Afghanistan.
The Taliban are a regime built on terror, gender-based oppression, and ethnic discrimination. Women and girls have been completely erased from public life. They are banned from schools, universities, work, travel, and even access to parks and healthcare. Journalists, civil society members, and protesters have been threatened, imprisoned, or disappeared. Religious and ethnic minorities face violence, land grabbing, and forced displacement. These are not isolated events, but a systematic pattern of repression that qualifies as gender apartheid and crimes against humanity, as defined by international law.
According to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Rome Statute, and UN Security Council Resolutions on women, peace and security, engagement with the Taliban regime without demanding concrete reforms means legitimizing these crimes.
At the same time, deporting Afghan asylum seekers to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan violates the principle of non-refoulement under international refugee law. Those being returned are at real risk of persecution, torture, and death. Such a policy would be a stain on Germany’s human rights record.
We therefore urge the German government to:
• Immediately stop any political or diplomatic normalization with the Taliban
• Cancel the planned deportations of Afghan refugees
• Set clear human rights conditions for all humanitarian or development aid
• Support Afghan women, civil society, and minorities with concrete protection mechanisms
• Hold Taliban leaders accountable in international courts for gender apartheid and crimes against humanity
We ask Germany to stand with the people of Afghanistan, not with their oppressors.
