A growing chorus of dissent within Germany’s Green Party is challenging the government’s pursuit of deportation agreements with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, raising serious concerns about legitimizing a regime widely condemned for its human rights abuses. Omid Nouripour, Vice-President of the German Bundestag and a prominent Green Party figure, has issued a stark warning against formalizing negotiations, branding the Taliban as “terrorists who murder relentlessly.
Nouripour’s strong criticism, echoed by fellow Green Party politician Bahar Haghanipour, Vice-President of the Berlin Parliament, comes as Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the CSU pushes forward with talks aimed at establishing regular deportations. Dobrindt recently indicated that negotiations were nearing completion, a move now facing internal resistance.
The proposed agreements have sparked intense debate, with critics arguing that any official accord would constitute a critical step toward recognizing the Taliban’s authority on the international stage and a significant error in judgment. “Anyone who legitimizes terrorists on the international stage risks the security of Germany” Nouripour stated in an interview with “T-Online”.
Haghanipour amplified these concerns, highlighting the Taliban’s creation of a climate of “fear and oppression” in Afghanistan. She specifically pointed to the systematic disenfranchisement of women and girls, including denial of education and employment and the expulsion of women from public life. “Instead of endangering the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan by normalizing a terrorist regime, Germany should honor the courage of women and help them regain freedom” she insisted.
While the German government officially maintains no diplomatic relations with the Taliban, due to persistent and severe human rights violations, particularly those targeting women, two groups of Afghan nationals have already been deported from Germany, facilitated through Qatar. The escalating tension underscores a fundamental ideological clash within the governing coalition, with the Greens’ humanitarian stance and commitment to human rights directly confronting the CSU’s focus on deportation policies. The critical motion, spearheaded by Nouripour and Haghanipour, will be put to a vote at the Green Party’s national convention later this month, potentially forcing a significant confrontation with the government’s current approach and setting a precedent for future engagement with the Taliban.