The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution condemning the Taliban’s penal code and calling for an end to public floggings, executions, and broader human rights violations in Afghanistan.
During a plenary session, the European Parliament approved three separate resolutions addressing the human rights situations in Afghanistan, Iran, and Indonesia.
In the Afghanistan resolution, European lawmakers said the Taliban’s penal regulations have led to the systematic persecution of women and girls, bodily punishments, forms of enslavement, and widespread violations of fundamental rights.
The resolution also described Taliban policies as an example of “gender apartheid.”
Members of the European Parliament called on the Taliban to immediately revoke the penal code and end public floggings, executions, and restrictions imposed on women and girls.
The resolution also stressed the need to end pressure and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, religious minorities, and other vulnerable groups.
In recent months, the Taliban have faced growing international criticism over public punishments, sweeping restrictions on women, and the introduction of new regulations affecting civil liberties.
The European Union and international human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that continued Taliban policies could deepen Afghanistan’s human rights crisis and further isolate the country internationally.
