De Facto Normalization in the Face of Gender Apartheid
Following Russia, yet another country is positioning itself to engage with the Taliban, though it remains against recognizing them as the legitimate authority.
Germany Confirms Taliban Diplomats Accepted To Provide Consular Services
Engaging With Taliban Is Not Recognition, Says German Envoy
Afghan Consulate Staff In Bonn Threaten Resignation If Taliban Diplomats Are Accepted
Germany’s Taliban Policy Mirrors Russia’s Approach, Says Ex-Afghan NSA
Germany Approves Deployment Of Two Taliban Diplomats To Berlin, Bonn
In a development stirring intense debate across diplomatic and human rights circles, the German government has approved the entry of two Taliban-appointed diplomats to serve at Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions in Berlin and Bonn. Sayed Mustafa Hashemi and Nabrasul Haq Aziz have been granted visas and designated as “second secretaries.” Their main task is to facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals in Germany with criminal convictions. Berlin insists this does not constitute formal recognition of the Taliban regime. The arrangement is labeled as “technical cooperation,” primarily to streamline repatriation flights, as Germany resumes deportations to Afghanistan.
Afghan consulate staff in Bonn have threatened to resign en masse, citing moral objections and human rights concerns. Critics argue this amounts to de facto recognition, undermining Germany’s longstanding support for democratic governance and women’s rights in Afghanistan. Former Afghan NSA Rangin Dadfar Spanta accused Germany of mirroring Russia’s realpolitik, calling it a “betrayal” of Afghan civil society.
This decision risks fragmenting the already fragile structure of Afghan diplomatic missions abroad. The departure of republic-era diplomats could disrupt vital consular services for Afghan refugees: passport renewals, legal documentation, and more. Until now, Germany coordinated deportations via Qatar or other third countries. The new approach signals a direct, functional line to the Taliban; a significant shift in foreign policy.
Can technical engagement ever be apolitical? What precedent does this set for international diplomacy with regimes that systematically suppress rights? Policies built for "efficiency" must still reflect the values we claim to uphold, especially when vulnerable lives are on the line.
Can we also pay attention to what women are saying?
Women protesters say legitimizing the Taliban means normalizing oppression
The Purple Saturday movement, a courageous coalition of Afghan women activists, has issued a stark warning: Engaging with the Taliban, no matter how it’s framed, is legitimizing oppression. Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, the human rights situation for Afghan women has spiraled into catastrophe. Of gender persecution and apartheid. It’s a deliberate, ideological erasure of women from society. And now, when countries like Germany quietly open the diplomatic door, the message received on the ground in Kabul is not “technical,” it’s deeply political. The Purple Saturday statement hits hard: Complacency in the face of extremism does not bring peace, it paves the way for its expansion. We cannot champion gender equality in boardrooms, parliaments, and social media hashtags, then go silent when the most courageous women on Earth tell us that our foreign policy choices are legitimizing their tormentors. Germany says this isn’t about recognition. But to the women in Afghanistan, it is a de facto validation of a regime that has reduced them to ghosts in their own homeland. If we’re serious about rights, we have to start listening. Really listening. Not just to politicians and diplomats, but to those who are paying the true price of our policies. Let’s amplify their voices, not normalize their silence.
Summary report of country-wide women’s consultations
In a recent consultation with Afghan women, 96% opposed unconditional recognition of the Taliban.
- 50% said recognition should only happen if women’s rights are restored
- 46% said it should never happen under any circumstances
- Just 4% supported recognition without conditions.
Let that sink in. 96% of Afghan women reject the idea of legitimizing the Taliban without a radical shift on human rights. Yet here we are, granting Taliban envoys diplomatic space in Berlin and Bonn. So the real question becomes: Are we listening? Or are we just managing optics while human lives are being trampled under authoritarian boots? Diplomatic pragmatism should never come at the cost of human dignity. Afghan women are not collateral damage. They are the frontline of freedom.
