Russia Considers Lifting Taliban Terror Status After Two Decades

The Supreme Court of Russia is set to review a proposal from the Prosecutor General’s Office regarding the delisting of the Taliban as a terrorist organization on April 17, as reported by Interfax on Monday.

If granted, this change would conclude over twenty years of the Taliban’s classification as a terrorist entity in Russia.

A legal framework enabling the removal of entities from the terrorism list was established in December when President Vladimir Putin enacted the law.

This legislation allows the chief prosecutor to seek a temporary delisting if it can prove that the group has stopped supporting or engaging in terrorist activities within Russia.

Interfax has noted that the Supreme Court’s press office has acknowledged receiving the request from the Prosecutor General’s Office. The session will be held privately at 2:00 p.m. Moscow time on April 17.

The Taliban was initially designated as a terrorist group by Russia in 2003. Since the organization’s resurgence to power in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, the Kremlin has enhanced its relations with the group.

Since taking control, the Taliban has enforced stringent Islamic laws, effectively sidelining women in public life.

President Putin has described the Taliban as «partners in the struggle against terrorism,» while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on Western nations to lift sanctions against Afghanistan and assume responsibility for its reconstruction in the aftermath of war.