MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Afghanistan, in particular the situation of women’s rights
5.4.2022 - (2022/2571(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Raffaele Fitto, Anna Fotyga, Assita Kanko, Adam Bielan, Alexandr Vondra, Angel Dzhambazki, Beata Kempa, Bogdan Rzońca, Carlo Fidanza, Charlie Weimers, Elżbieta Kruk, Elżbieta Rafalska, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Ryszard Czarnecki, Valdemar Tomaševski, Veronika Vrecionová, Witold Jan Waszczykowski, Zbigniew Kuźmiuk
on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0198/2022
B9‑0206/2022
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Afghanistan, in particular the situation of women’s rights
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Afghanistan, in particular that of 16 September 2021[1],
– having regard to UN Security Council resolutions 2210 (2015), 2344 (2017), 2513 (2020), 2593 (2021) and 2626 (2022),
– having regard to the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, of the other part[2] of 13 March 2019,
– having regard to the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, of the other part, signed on 18 February 2017,
– having regard to the Council conclusions on Afghanistan of 21 September 2021,
– having regard to the declaration of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on behalf of the European Union of 28 March 2022 calling for the immediate re-opening of secondary schools for girls in Afghanistan,
– having regard to the first meeting of the Afghan Women Leaders Forum in Brussels of 10 March 2022,
– having regard to the G20 Extraordinary Leaders’ Summit on Afghanistan of 12 October 2021,
– having regard to the statement by the Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Afghanistan of 23 March 2022,
– having regard to the statement by MEPs of 8 March 2022 on Afghanistan,
– having regard to the Joint Statement by the NATO Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan on 20 August and to the statement by the NATO Secretary General of 8 September 2021,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,
– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989,
– having regard to the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion or Belief of 1981,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the newly appointed Taliban government has introduced a stream of policies and regulations that have rolled back women’s rights that had been achieved 20 years previously; whereas women took to the streets in several Afghan cities to demand respect for their rights, with many being arrested and detained;
B. whereas measures introduced by the new Taliban government have included the barring of women from returning to their jobs, requiring a male relative to accompany them in public spaces, prohibiting women from using public transport on their own, including the ability to fly out of the country, banning all girls from sixth grade onwards from going to school and imposing strict dress codes on women and girls;
C. whereas the new policies introduced by the Taliban government have greatly affected the ability of women to make a living, pushing them further into poverty, with many women heads of household being hit especially hard;
D. whereas experts have warned of increased risks of the exploitation of women and girls, including their vulnerability to being trafficked for the purposes of forced marriage, sexual exploitation and forced labour;
E. whereas since the Taliban takeover, many women’s shelters and service providers supporting survivors of gender-based violence have shut down out of fear of retribution; whereas the specialised courts and prosecution units responsible for enforcing the 2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women have also been discontinued;
F. whereas the plight of women human rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, judges, prosecutors and security service and former government employees in the country is of particular concern, as Taliban gunmen have raided homes to detain them; whereas numerous women’s rights activists, journalists and former government and security officials have disappeared after being arrested by the Taliban;
G. whereas the Taliban has restricted the participation of women in leadership roles in Afghanistan and has dismantled the Ministry of Women’s Affairs;
H. whereas Afghanistan faces widespread hunger amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, as the country is suffering its worst drought in 30 years; whereas the current Russian aggression against Ukraine might further contribute to food shortages and malnutrition, as it might lead to substantial grain shortages; whereas the UN has estimated that 97 % of the population could plunge into poverty by mid-2022 and noted that the poverty rate in September 2021 was 72 %;
I. whereas on 7 September 2021, the Taliban proclaimed its all-male interim government, which consists of 33 mullahs, including four under US sanctions; whereas many of the appointed Taliban members are hard-line veterans from the 1990s regime and the 20-year battle against the US-led coalition;
J. whereas no Member States or NATO ally recognises the Taliban as the legitimate government, but is ready to engage with the new government if human rights and security conditions are respected; whereas since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, international development funding has been cut off, sanctions have been imposed and assets frozen;
K. whereas the European Union held an in-person dialogue with the Taliban in November 2021 in Doha, Qatar; whereas in early 2022, the EU re-established a residual physical presence in Afghanistan for humanitarian purposes and to monitor the humanitarian situation; whereas the return of the EU to Kabul does not entail recognition of the Taliban regime;
L. whereas since the Taliban takeover, many medical facilities have closed, mostly in the countryside, as many doctors, including specialists, have fled the country; whereas maternity hospitals reportedly have no money for heating systems and therefore cram babies together in incubators to keep them warm;
M. whereas religious freedom conditions have severely deteriorated since the Taliban takeover of the country, and whereas together with terrorist groups, such as ISIS-K, the Taliban have intimidated, threatened and targeted members of religious minority communities and carried out terrorist attacks; whereas the Hazara community has been specifically targeted and the Taliban have carried out extrajudicial killings of numerous community members and ensured the forced displacement of entire communities;
N. whereas while under Taliban rule in the 1990s, Afghanistan was the main safe haven and operational headquarters of international terrorist organisations, in particular al‑Qaeda, which was responsible for numerous barbaric terrorist attacks targeting civilians in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America, and for the deadliest terrorist attack in human history on 11 September 2001 in the United States, in which almost 3 000 people of more than 90 nationalities were killed;
O. whereas intelligence agencies have warned that Afghanistan is once again becoming a safe haven for terrorist groups around the world; whereas a large and growing contingent of internationally recognised terrorist organisations are currently operating in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Katibat al-Imam al-Bukhari and the Turkestan Islamic Party, many of which are believed to be stepping up their recruitment of foreign fighters from the country; whereas ISIS-K controls some territory in eastern Afghanistan and appears to be receiving financial support from members in Syria and Iraq;
P. whereas the ideological and political ties between the Taliban and global jihadist organisations such as al-Qaeda remain strong and are likely to be increasingly strengthened over time; whereas Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden, is believed to be hiding out in Afghanistan or Pakistan; whereas five years ago, Zawahiri swore allegiance to the Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, referring to him as the ‘emir of the believers’; whereas long before, bin Laden had pledged allegiance to the Taliban’s Mullah Mohammed Omar; whereas according to a UN monitoring report, a significant part of al-Qaeda’s leadership resides in the Afghanistan and Pakistan border region;
Q. whereas on 26 August 2021, a bomb attack claimed by the regional Islamic State affiliate, IS‑K, at the airport killed more than 180 people, including 13 US service members;
R. whereas that barbaric attack on the United States 20 years ago triggered UN Security Council Resolution 1368 (2001) and the US-led intervention in Afghanistan in 2001, which resulted in the overthrow of the Taliban along with the dismantling and decline of al‑Qaeda and other global jihadist organisations, the progress of which is now in grave peril;
S. whereas on 14 April 2021, following three years of negotiations with the Taliban, the United States announced a withdrawal of its troops to be completed by 11 September 2021; whereas the withdrawal of NATO and allied troops was concluded in August 2021;
T. whereas since 2002, the European Union and its Member States have collectively been the largest international donor to Afghanistan and its people, providing EUR 17.2 billion in development and humanitarian aid; whereas since the new Taliban takeover, the European Union has launched projects worth EUR 268.3 million focusing on maintaining education, sustaining livelihoods and protecting public health, including for refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons, and whereas this funding is channelled via UN agencies, while EU development assistance continues to be suspended;
1. Expresses its full solidarity with the women, girls and human rights activists of Afghanistan and strongly supports their aspirations to live in a free, stable, peaceful and diverse society which guarantees their human rights;
2. Expresses its deep concern about the reports of violence and acts of persecution perpetrated against women, protesters, journalists, minority groups, former judges, prosecutors and government and security officials; stresses that the basic rights and freedoms the Afghan people have enjoyed over the past 20 years must be preserved;
3. Expresses grave concern that since the Taliban takeover of the country, women and girls have been faced with an increased risk of exploitation, including the risk of being trafficked for the purposes of forced marriage, sexual exploitation and forced labour; condemns the perpetration of female genital mutilation and gender-based violence and discrimination;
4. Strongly condemns the policies introduced by the Taliban government that limit women and girls in their most basic rights and needs, such as women’s ability to work, girls’ ability to go to school beyond sixth grade, as well as the ability of both women and girls to travel inside or outside the country without being accompanied by a male relative; calls on the Taliban government to overturn these policies without delay;
5. Condemns the growing number of reports of killings, harassment and intimidation of Christians, Hazaras and other minorities and the fact that the Christian and Hazara communities are now dissolving due to persecution; stresses that freedom of religion and belief must be guaranteed and protected at all times;
6. Calls on the Taliban to immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders, women protestors, prisoners of conscience, journalists, academics and former government and security employees detained and sentenced merely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;
7. Calls on the Taliban to cease and desist all attacks on a free and open press and to ensure journalists are offered a safe environment to conduct their reporting free from intimidation, harassment or the threat of violence in accordance with the International Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists and other Media Professionals; calls on the international community, non-governmental organisations and IT companies to develop special tools and outlets dedicated to Afghanistan that allow for the safe reporting and receipt of information;
8. Expresses grave concern about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the appointment of the all-male interim government consisting of 33 mullahs, with many under US and UN sanctions and wanted for terrorist activities; calls for stringent conditions to be imposed on the Taliban before agreeing to initiate any negotiations that may lead to the recognition of the interim Taliban government;
9. Recalls that the EU approach towards Afghanistan since the Taliban took power is based on five guiding principles which have not been met: the departure of all foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country, respect for human rights, the implementation of humanitarian operations, preventing Afghanistan from serving as a base for hosting or exporting terrorism, and the establishment of an inclusive and representative government; takes note of the re-established presence on the ground of the European Union in Kabul for the purpose of coordinating humanitarian aid and monitoring the humanitarian situation; strongly underlines that this does not constitute recognition of the Taliban regime by the EU;
10. Considers the Taliban’s public relations efforts to present itself as a moderate entity to be merely tactical and temporary, and urges Member States to remain vigilant in their efforts to deny the Taliban any legitimacy on the international stage;
11. Calls on the international community, primarily the UN, the European Council, G7 and G20 to employ all diplomatic, political or other appropriate means, including targeted sanctions, on the Taliban currently in positions of power, to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and other persons belonging to religious minorities; stresses the special responsibilities of Afghanistan’s neighbours and the wider region to promote peaceful solutions, guarantee human rights and develop the country; recalls that Afghanistan is deeply influenced by neighbouring countries and regional powers, in particular China, Iran, Russia, Pakistan and Qatar; regrets the fact that a stable and successful Afghanistan is not always the end goal for these regional actors;
12. Condemns in the strongest terms terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and all terrorist acts; is deeply concerned that the Taliban is once again providing a safe haven to terrorist groups in the country; insists that the Taliban and the Government of the Islamic Republic must fulfil their counterterrorism commitments, including preventing al-Qaida, Daesh or other terrorist groups and individuals from using Afghan soil to threaten or violate the security of any other country, not hosting members of these groups, and preventing them from recruiting, training or fundraising;
13. Underscores the fact that combating the financing of terrorism is key to creating an environment conducive to security in Afghanistan; urges all relevant partners to step up their efforts to dismantle all terrorist financing networks, including ending the misuse of hawala money transfer networks and international donations for this purpose, in order to fight radicalisation, extremism and the recruitment tools that Afghan terrorist organisations continue to rely on; states its position that no EU money or support can be made available to the Taliban, and calls for the development of a special mechanism which delivers aid directly to Afghan citizens;
14. Strongly condemns the continued violence and intimidation in Afghanistan for which the Taliban is largely responsible and demands that all parties take immediate and necessary steps to reduce violence and to avoid civilian casualties;
15. Emphasises its long-term support for credible, free, fair and transparent elections, in line with international standards, and expresses its support for election observation missions to the country;
16. Remains committed to the implementation of an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process leading to fair, comprehensive, lasting peace which is responsive to the needs and concerns of all Afghans; calls for an expanded role for the UN in contributing to the Afghanistan peace and reconciliation process, including by leveraging its considerable experience and expertise in supporting other peace processes;
17. Believes that in order to achieve national security, stability and prosperity, the Afghan government needs to represent and reflect the diverse ethnic and cultural background of the country; recalls that the long-term development of Afghanistan will depend on accountability, good governance, the sustainable provision of human security, including the reduction of poverty and the creation of job opportunities, access to social and health services, education, equality between women and men and the protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights;
18. Encourages the Member States to ensure that efforts are made to sustain support for Afghan infrastructure and for the country’s civilians who desire to live in a free and peaceful homeland; further encourages Member States to strengthen ties with and provide support to neighbouring countries hosting Afghan refugees in order to ensure the proper provision of resources, humane treatment and education;
19. Calls on the Commission to appoint a new Special Envoy for the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU without delay and to provide adequate staff and funding for the position;
20. Calls on the UN Human Rights Council to establish without delay a dedicated mechanism tasked with monitoring the human rights situation in Afghanistan, focusing particularly on the human rights of women and persons belonging to ethnic, religious and belief minorities;
21. Urges the Member States to preserve and share whatever intelligence was gained through their military and law enforcement presence in Afghanistan, with a particular emphasis on biometric data that is critical in assisting Member States and third countries in identifying any returning foreign fighters;
22. Encourages enhanced security and intelligence cooperation with Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries in Central Asia in order to ensure that the Taliban are denied the operational capability to recruit additional personnel or mount any offensive against Afghanistan’s neighbours;
23. Urges the EU and the Member States to increase their efforts to cooperate with the US and NATO allies to combat drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorist financing and human smuggling in the region;
24. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European External Action Service, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Taliban interim government of Afghanistan.