The MPs demand that the EU states reassess asylum applications. Even those who have already been rejected.
The EU Parliament is pushing for a visa program specifically for Afghan women who are threatened by the radical Islamist Taliban. The MPs passed corresponding demands on Thursday. In the legally non-binding resolution, the Strasbourg parliament also insists that the EU states reassess current and recently submitted asylum applications by Afghans, including those that have been rejected.
The European Parliament also called for the resumption of coordinated evacuations from Afghanistan. For this “all levers have to be pulled in”, warned the MPs in the resolution. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) should therefore play a central role in the establishment of safe escape corridors and the reopening of the airport in Kabul and the national borders.
Demand: No deportations to Afghanistan
Under no circumstances should people be deported to Afghanistan at the moment. The militant Islamist Taliban had taken power in the Central Asian country in August. Observers fear that women in particular could face reprisals. The EU Commission expects a considerable number of refugees. Austria strictly refuses to accept Afghan refugees.
(APA/dpa/AFP)