CPJ urges European Commission to not invite the Taliban to Brussels

The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on the European Commission to scrap reported plans to invite the Taliban to Brussels. According to media reports, the technical talks would focus on the return of rejected asylum seekers and Afghans convicted of crimes.

The European Union does not officially recognize the Taliban, and formal engagement has been conditioned in part on compliance with international standards on human rights.

“It is outrageous that, as the Taliban attacks the media, the European Commission extends an invitation to Brussels,” said Tom Gibson, CPJ’s deputy advocacy director, EU. “By doing so, it legitimizes a regime responsible for severe repression and censorship and strengthens their public relations as an international player. The European Commission must scrap such plans.”

Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, it has forced the shutdown of independent media, imprisoned journalists, enforced strict surveillance, and censored the media environment. Journalists in the country work in fear, while much of the national media coverage has increasingly become propaganda for the Taliban.