RASC News Agency: A member of the European Parliament has strongly criticized the invitation extended to a Taliban delegation to Brussels, arguing that the move stands in direct contradiction to the European Union’s declared commitments to human rights and women’s rights.
Rocio Garcia Hermida, a Member of the European Parliament, stated during a plenary session that she was deeply concerned about meetings being held with representatives of the Taliban in the Belgian capital. She used the occasion to express solidarity with Afghanistani women and girls, who she said remain deprived of fundamental rights and basic social opportunities under Taliban rule.
She further warned that Europe’s credibility on human rights is undermined when condemnation of gender-based repression in Afghanistan is accompanied by diplomatic engagement with the same authorities responsible for those restrictions. According to her, such contradictions risk weakening the EU’s moral and political stance on global human rights advocacy.
The remarks followed reports that a five-member Taliban delegation, led by the group’s spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, traveled to Brussels to participate in a series of meetings. European Commission officials have stated that the discussions were technical in nature and focused primarily on the return of Afghanistani nationals convicted of crimes.
The visit has already drawn criticism from human rights advocates. Earlier, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, cautioned against engaging the Taliban on deportation-related arrangements, warning that such interactions send a troubling signal to Afghanistani citizens.
Bennett emphasized that Afghanistan remains unsafe for many returnees, particularly activists, journalists, women, and individuals at risk, and argued that forced returns could expose them to serious harm under existing conditions inside the country.
