Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has urged European Union countries to stop deporting Afghans, warning that returns could expose some people to serious human rights violations.
Bennett and other UN human rights experts have raised concerns about the return of Afghans from European countries, stressing that governments must comply with international human rights and refugee law.
They have warned that women and girls, ethnic and religious minorities, journalists, human rights defenders and former Afghan government and security personnel could face serious risks if returned to Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
The experts have also expressed concern about efforts by some European governments to engage with the Taliban authorities over the return of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected.
They have called on European countries to assess the risks facing each individual before any deportation and to uphold the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face a real risk of persecution, torture or other serious harm.
The appeal comes as several European countries seek to increase the number of people they return to their countries of origin. UN experts have stressed that such measures must comply with international legal obligations.
