Proposal to lift ban on Taliban sparked discussion in Russia
The Russian Foreign and Justice Ministries have proposed to President Vladimir Putin that the Taliban terrorist movement banned in the country be removed from the list of banned organisations. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Taliban are the real power in Afghanistan
The proposal by the two ministries was reported by Putin's representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov. Russian authorities have long maintained contacts with the Taliban, their delegations regularly visit Moscow, and on 15 May they participated in the forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum". In September 2022, Kazan hosted another meeting of the "Moscow format," in which representatives of Russia, Iran, Pakistan and other countries hold consultations on Afghanistan.
Despite this, the Taliban remains a banned terrorist organisation in Russia, and activists, as well as the media, are prosecuted for mentioning the movement without a ban clause. A positive assessment of the Taliban's activities can face criminal charges.
One of the episodes in the criminal case of journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova, accused of justifying terrorism, concerns the Taliban. Her lawyer Kaloy Akhilgov noted that the case mentions a 2021 Telegram post where the journalist called the Taliban "handsome." Akhilgov suggested that the removal of the Taliban from the list of terrorist organisations could automatically exclude this episode from the charges.
Sergey Lavrov also gave a positive assessment of the Taliban, saying that they are the real power in Afghanistan and emphasised that Afghanistan is important for Russia. He noted that the initiative to lift the ban reflects objective reality.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow has sent an invitation to the Taliban to participate in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The Taliban had already participated in the forum in 2022, which was ignored by Western participants due to the war in Ukraine.
Removal from the list of banned organisations is a prerequisite for the Taliban to be recognised as a legitimate authority in Afghanistan, Kabulov said. He added that all considerations have been reported to Russia's top leadership and a decision is now awaited.
Lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky said the proposal to remove the Taliban from the list of banned organisations is unprecedented. He explained that Rosfinmonitoring can exclude the Taliban from the list only by a decision of the Russian Supreme Court, as it was this court that recognised the Taliban as a terrorist organisation following a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General's Office.
"Cancellation of this decision is possible on a new suit by the same body in the same court due to newly discovered circumstances," the lawyer explained.
"The Taliban has been on Russia's list of banned terrorist organisations for more than 20 years. Three years ago, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops.
From information sent by an anonymous source
The editorial board is not responsible for the content and accuracy of material taken, sent or obtained from other sources. The publication of such materials is for informational purposes only and does not imply automatic endorsement or approval of their content.
