The Russian Supreme Court has approved the Prosecutor General’s request to suspend the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organization.
According to the state news agency RIA Novosti, the hearing for this request was held behind closed doors today (Thursday, April 17), and a representative from the Taliban was also present.
The Prosecutor General’s Office stated that the decision was made based on amendments to administrative and counter-terrorism laws introduced in December 2023.
The statement from the Prosecutor’s Office said: “Based on information provided by relevant authorities, the court found the Prosecutor General’s arguments valid and issued a ruling to suspend the ban on Taliban activities.”
Oleg Nefyodov, a judge of the Russian Supreme Court, stated that the decision is effective immediately, although it can be appealed within one month before the appellate panel of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.
The Taliban had been on Russia’s list of terrorist organizations since 2003. However, in recent years, Moscow has expanded its relations with the group and even handed over the management of the Afghan embassy in Moscow to Taliban diplomats.
In January 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing courts to temporarily suspend terrorist designations at the request of the Prosecutor General. Earlier, in July 2023, Putin had stated that he considered the Taliban “a partner in the fight against terrorism.”
As a result of this ruling, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) is expected to update the list of terrorist organizations within the next five days.
Previously, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan had also removed the Taliban from their lists of terrorist organizations.
However, Russia and no other country have yet officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
