(17 Apr 2025)
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Moscow, Russia – 17 April 2025
1. Wide of judge entering courtroom
2. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Oleg Nefyodov, judge:
“The court ruled to suspend the ban on the activities of the Taliban movement, included in the federal list of organizations, including foreign and international organizations, recognized as terrorist in accordance with Russian legislation. The court’s decision to suspend the ban on the activities of the Taliban movement is subject to immediate execution.”
3. Close of judge holding folder
4. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Oleg Nefyodov, judge:
“Do the persons participating in the case understand the court’s decision? The court session is declared closed, goodbye.”
5. Close of Russian coat of arms
STORYLINE:
Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a ban on Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, a group that was designated as a terrorist organization more than two decades ago.
The move was a diplomatic victory for the Taliban, who were put on Russia’s list of terrorist organizations in 2003, making any contact with them punishable under Russian law.
At the same time, Taliban delegations have attended various forums hosted by Russia as Moscow has sought to position itself as a regional power broker.
The court’s ruling on a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office followed last year’s adoption of a law stipulating that the official designation as a terrorist organization could be suspended by a court.
The former Soviet Union fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with Moscow withdrawing its troops in 1989.
Russian officials have recently been emphasizing the need to engage with the Taliban to help stabilize Afghanistan.
In recent years, the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have removed the Taliban from their lists of terrorist groups.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of withdrawing from the country after two decades of war.
The Taliban initially promised a more moderate rule than during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, but started to enforce restrictions on women and girls soon after the 2021 takeover.
Women are barred from most jobs and public places, including parks, baths and gyms, while girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade.
Such measures have isolated the Taliban on the world stage, although their government has established diplomatic ties with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates.
The U.N. this year renewed its call for the Taliban to lift the bans.
The group’s decrees limiting the participation of girls and women have affected foreign aid to the country.
The Taliban also have brought back their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Shariah, including public executions.
Some Taliban want greater engagement with the international community and want to scrap harsher policies to attract more outside support.
In recent months, there has been increased engagement between the Taliban and the U.S. under President Donald Trump, mostly because of prisoner exchanges and releases.
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