The United Nations’ expert on rights in Afghanistan said Wednesday he was deeply concerned that the European Union is set for talks with Taliban officials on deporting Afghans.
The EU has been working on plans to deport those with no right to stay in the bloc back to Afghanistan, despite concerns from rights groups and the UN refugee agency.
“Reports of EU hosting Taliban officials to discuss deporting Afghans are seriously concerning,” Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said 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.”
UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council to report their findings. They do not, therefore, speak for the United Nations itself.
Taliban officials are expected in Brussels in the coming weeks for talks on deporting Afghans from the EU to their home country, sources told AFP.
The visit by Taliban officials, which is being coordinated by the European Commission and several member states, follows two trips by European officials to Afghanistan for “exploratory” discussions on the issue.
The European Commission declined to respond to Bennett’s post.
Commission spokesman Markus Lammert on Tuesday said: “I cannot confirm that a meeting with the de facto authorities from Afghanistan is scheduled to take place in Brussels at this time or that an invitation has been sent.”
The Afghan government did not respond to a request to comment on the reported Brussels meeting when approached by AFP.
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