France has confirmed that it has opened a “technical dialogue” with the Taliban authorities regarding forced returns to Afghanistan. The announcement marks a dangerous shift in policy that places Afghans in France at risk of persecution, torture and other grave abuses in contravention of France’s international human rights obligations.
The “technical dialogue” follows in the wake of a Taliban delegation to Brussels in June in which migration and return policies were discussed with European Union officials. Germany has already deported 263 Afghans since last year.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the talks aim “to facilitate the removal of Afghan nationals who are illegally on the national territory and who represent a national security risk.” French officials say the dialogue is narrowly focused but have not set out any guarantees that those at particular risk, including women, would be protected.
Since taking power in August 2021, the Taliban have issued decrees and enacted laws that have deprived Afghans of their fundamental rights. Women and girls are restricted from exercising their rights to education, freedom of movement, and expression. There is also compelling evidence that Taliban forces have detained and tortured people who have been forcibly returned to the country.
French cooperation with the Taliban on a returns process would be with full knowledge of the Taliban’s responsibility for grave human rights violations and systematic oppression. Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court publicly announced the arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and three other senior officials for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender and political grounds. The warrants, issued in 2025, relate to the persecution of women, girls, and people who do not conform to the Taliban’s expectations of gender, and the political persecution of those viewed as “allies of girls and women.”
No country should be forcing refugees to return to Afghanistan so long as the Taliban continues to commit widespread human rights abuses. France should suspend any plan for deportations, and any cooperation on migration control should not be used as a vehicle for sending people back to a country where they would face a real risk of persecution or worse.
