Despite the suppression of the rights of girls and women in Afghanistan the Government admits it “has not introduced any Global Human Rights sanctions against the Taliban since they took power in 2021.” Parliament needs to assert oversight of the random and opaque process of Magnitsky Sanctions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL3308):

Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool :
To ask His Majesty’s Government how many Taliban leaders they have sanctioned using Magnitsky-style sanctions since 2021; and how many sanctions they have imposed in response to the suppression of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. (HL3308)

Tabled on: 18 March 2024

Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:

The UK continues to meet our obligations under the United Nations sanctions regime relating to Afghanistan through the Afghanistan Sanctions (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, which came into force on 31 December 2020. The Government has not introduced any Global Human Rights sanctions against the Taliban since they took power in 2021, but we keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. More broadly, officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers on human rights abuses in Afghanistan, including against women and girls.

Date and time of answer: 15 Apr 2024 at 12:06.