The European Parliament has adopted a resolution rejecting diplomatic normalization with the Taliban, citing widespread human rights violations. The 480-to-5 vote, with 83 abstentions, condemned the group’s new Criminal Procedure Code as institutionalizing gender apartheid, slavery, and corporal punishment. Lawmakers urged the EU to seek International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Taliban leaders and expand targeted sanctions.

The resolution comes amid controversy over planned technical talks in Brussels between the European Commission and Taliban representatives, reportedly focused on migration and deportations. Several EU countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, have already held meetings with Taliban delegations, often tied to deportation policies. Germany recently conducted multiple charter flights returning Afghan nationals.

Parliament also called for recognizing slavery, gender apartheid, and forced child marriages as crimes against humanity. It urged increased humanitarian aid to support Afghan women’s rights defenders, judges, journalists, and women-led organizations facing repression under Taliban rule.