Europe accused of 'step-by-step normalization' of Taliban on fifth anniversary of takeover, MEP says

On the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power, German Green MEP Hannah Neumann has accused Europe of engaging in a "step-by-step normalization" of the Taliban regime, sacrificing human rights principles for short-term migration control deals. Her core argument is that Europe's posture is shifting while Taliban abuses remain entrenched — and she cites a string of diplomatic decisions and human rights reports to back her case.

The core accusation: Europe is changing, not the Taliban

Neumann argues that the human rights situation in Afghanistan has not improved over the past five years. What is changing, she says, is Europe's willingness to accommodate the regime. "The greatest danger today is not only what the Taliban are doing. The world begins to treat their oppression as the new normal," she told Rukhshana Media . She says Europe is failing its responsibility by prioritizing deportation deals over the protection of Afghan women and human rights defenders .

Germany's diplomatic deal and deportation flights

Neumann has sharply criticized the German government for what she calls giving in to Taliban pressure. She says Berlin granted the Taliban several consulates in Germany in exchange for being allowed to deport Afghans back to Afghanistan, thereby normalizing relations with a regime that oppresses women . She cited reports that German authorities were preparing to deport Afghans with no criminal convictions, even as the European Commission claimed talks were limited to convicted terrorists, murderers, and rapists . She called the deportations "not only a humanitarian failure but a strategic mistake" that leaves Europe vulnerable to Taliban pressure .

The EU's first direct talks with a Taliban delegation in Brussels

In late June 2026, a Taliban delegation visited Brussels for talks with EU officials — the bloc's first direct engagement with the group since it took power . Belgium issued one-day restricted visas for the delegation . The European Commission described the meetings as "technical talks" focused on migration returns. Neumann rejected that framing outright: "There is no such thing as technical engagement with the Taliban. It is political normalization without accountability" . She wrote on X: "The Commission held 'technical talks' with the Taliban in Brussels today. What a shit show. The Taliban are not seeking technical discussions with the EU; they are seeking legitimacy" . Together with 27 other MEPs and former Afghan women parliamentarians, she sent an open letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever demanding no talks in Brussels until EU conditions are met .

Criticism from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch

• Human Rights Watch released a detailed timeline on August 3, 2026, documenting that the Taliban have "entrenched one of the world's worst human rights crises" and systematically dismantled women's and girls' rights. HRW explicitly criticized the June 22 EU-Taliban meeting as part of the troubling normalization trend .
• Amnesty International on August 13, 2026, urged the German government to urgently fulfill all its pledges to take in at-risk Afghans and stop deportations, citing the "devastating human rights situation" in Afghanistan . Earlier in June 2026, Amnesty published a legal analysis showing that the Taliban's new "Divorce Code" (Decree 18) effectively paves the way for institutionalizing forced child marriage .
• UN human rights experts also warned on August 13–14, 2026, against normalization of Taliban rule, calling for no moves to recognize the de facto authorities without demonstrated, measurable progress on human rights benchmarks, particularly for women and girls .

The current human rights situation for women and girls

Neumann says the Taliban have established what many Afghan women describe as gender apartheid — "a coherent system designed to erase women from public life" . The specific conditions she and other sources detail include:

• Ban on education for girls above 12: Girls are denied secondary and higher education .
• Exclusion of women from public life: Women are excluded from most professions, political participation, and many public spaces. "Women and girls have been systematically erased from public life. Schools. Universities. Jobs. Parks," Neumann wrote on X .
• Return of public flogging and stoning: "Public floggings and stoning have returned," she said . The Taliban's 2026 Criminal Procedure Regulation also institutionalizes torture and authorizes the destruction of property as punishment .
• Child marriage codified: Amnesty International documented that the Taliban's Decree 18, published in May 2026, enables child marriage, compounding the already "dismal situation for women's and girls' rights" .
• Healthcare restrictions: Women cannot access healthcare without a male guardian .

Bottom line

Neumann's central argument is that Europe's engagement with the Taliban — Germany's consulate-for-deportations deal, the EU's Brussels talks, and the framing of meetings as "technical" — amounts to a step-by-step political normalization of a regime that has intensified its oppression of women and girls. She warns that this approach erodes Europe's credibility and security, and that the international community is "slowly beginning to adapt" to Taliban rule as the new normal .