Belgian minister defends Taliban talks on deporting Afghan offenders

Belgium’s Migration Minister, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, has defended her government’s talks with the Taliban on deporting Afghan asylum seekers convicted of crimes. She said the negotiations do not mean Belgium supports the group. On Friday, 2 October, Van Bossuyt posted a video of a speech she gave at a Ghent City Council committee meeting. She was responding to Ghent’s mayor, Mathias De Clercq, who had criticised her plan to deport Afghan offenders who have no valid residence permits. In the speech, Van Bossuyt condemned the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls. She said those policies are the reason Belgium gives asylum and protection to Afghan women and girls. She said, however, that Afghans whose asylum claims have been rejected and who are serving prison sentences in Belgium should be sent back to Afghanistan. She said some of them had raped underage girls. “Afghans who are in our country illegally and have raped underage girls are in our prisons,” Van Bossuyt said. “I do not want these people to live freely in our country after completing their sentences.” She said the talks with the Taliban were not about supporting the group. Their aim, she said, was to protect public safety, especially for women and girls. The debate follows a recent visit to Brussels by a Taliban delegation, invited by the European Commission. The visit drew criticism from several politicians and human rights organisations. Several European Union member states have also begun engaging with the Taliban to arrange the return of Afghans whose asylum applications were rejected or who have criminal records. These governments have repeatedly said the contacts do not mean they recognise the Taliban or give the group legitimacy. Source: Amu TV News — https://amu.tv/253703/