Dutch Government Intends to Deport Two Afghan Women to Afghanistan

Source: igamingexpress.com

According to Dutch media reports, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) of the Netherlands has rejected the asylum applications of two Afghan women, stating that they can live under Taliban rule.

One of the women is 79 years old. The Hague court had rejected her deportation in August, but the immigration authorities have maintained their position, and her case is now in the appeals process. The second woman, aged 59, currently works in the Netherlands and is socially active, yet Dutch officials have argued that she does not face a specific threat.

Regarding one of the women, the IND stated: “Before leaving Afghanistan, she mostly stayed at home, so she can live in Afghanistan again.”

This decision comes despite the fact that the Dutch government, along with Germany, Canada, and Austria, filed a formal complaint against the Taliban at the International Court of Justice in The Hague last year, describing the group’s policies against women as a “clear violation of human rights.” The Netherlands had called the isolation imposed on Afghan women and girls “heartbreaking.”

Human rights defenders have strongly criticised the Dutch government’s decision, calling it deeply inconsistent with the country’s stated position. They argue that returning Afghan women at a time when education, employment, travel, and even healthcare are banned for women in Afghanistan constitutes a violation of the fundamental international legal principle of non-refoulement; the prohibition against returning individuals to danger.