European Parliament Urges for Aid to Afghanistan Quake Victims, Sanctions on Taliban Leaders
DID Press: European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for the immediate expansion of humanitarian assistance to victims of the recent earthquake in eastern Afghanistan. The resolution passed with 504 votes in favor, 74 against, and 30 abstentions, emphasizing that the Taliban’s restrictive policies toward women remain a major obstacle to ensuring aid reaches all affected populations.
Expressing deep concern over the humanitarian situation in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, the European Parliament urged the European Commission to step up emergency and relief support for Afghanistan.
The resolution described the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls left without assistance after the earthquake as a “crime against humanity,” demanding that Afghanistan’s de facto authorities lift all restrictions hampering the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The Parliament also called on the European Union to work with regional partners and trusted NGOs to create alternative aid channels that bypass Taliban interference.
Labeling the Taliban’s gender-based policies as “gender apartheid,” lawmakers stressed the need for international recognition of such discrimination as a crime against humanity. The resolution further urged the Taliban to immediately lift the ban on women working with humanitarian and civil organizations.
European Parliament also condemned the Taliban’s decision to cut off internet access nationwide, describing it as an attempt to suppress society. Lawmakers voiced alarm over widespread violence, rape, forced marriage, and human rights abuses against women, and called for targeted sanctions, asset freezes, and travel bans against Taliban leaders.
Additionally, EU member states were urged to accelerate asylum procedures for Afghanistan human rights defenders, journalists, and activists currently awaiting relocation from Pakistan to Europe.
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Kunar province on August 31, 2025, killed more than 2,200 people, injured thousands, and destroyed over 6,700 homes. The European Union has so far allocated €1 million in emergency aid and a total of €161 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in 2025.