Tribune. On Sunday August 15, the Taliban entered Kabul. With this seizure of power, thousands of Afghans fear persecution or whose lives are threatened, especially all those who are committed to freedom, women’s rights, or who have quite simply had an intellectual or artistic activity considered not to conform to the laws of the Taliban.
For years, and until these last days, these women and men have fought for freedom, mobilized to advance democracy in their country and to defend human rights. These people fear today “With reason to be persecuted” by the new power in place for having defended their opinions or for the simple fact of being a woman, artist, civil servant …
Isn’t this the exact definition of what justifies refugee status, as defined by article 1 of the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees? In this year of his 70e anniversary, demanding its effective respect by the signatory states is more urgent than ever.
Republican duty
The protection of the right to asylum is also at the heart of France’s values and contained in the constitutionality block. “Any man persecuted because of his action in favor of freedom has the right to asylum in the territories of the Republic”, affirms the 4e paragraph of the preamble to the 1946 Constitution. The Constitutional Council has established this right as a “fundamental right” and a “principle with constitutional value”. Providing protection and welcome to threatened Afghans is our republican duty.
But even more, for France which wants to be the homeland of human rights, since the affirmation of the universalist vocation of the declaration of 1789, it is necessary to live up to its responsibilities without hesitation, to the like many countries which are committed to welcoming refugees. It should also be noted that, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the large majority of these refugees are women and children, which implies adapting reception conditions accordingly.
By taking, at 1er January 2022, the rotating presidency of the European Union, France has the opportunity to coordinate and optimize initiatives so far disparate and to become the spearhead of the implementation in Europe of a protective reception, comprehensive and respectful of the human dignity of refugees – who, it should be remembered, did not decide for convenience to leave their country but are forced to do so because they are in danger of death.
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