Dutch court ruling reignites debate on protection of Afghan allies
Liesbeth van der Heide, Assistant Professor, told the Memesita that the recent court decision denying asylum to 42 Afghan security guards who protected Dutch diplomats exposes a troubling moral gap in Europe’s asylum policy.
According to Van der Heide, the court’s decision may be legally sound, but it raises important ethical questions about the Netherlands’ commitment to those who supported its diplomatic mission. She explained that ‘the courts have penalised these men for trusting a verbal commitment. It sets a dangerous precedent for how we treat those who stood by us.’
The guards had been promised protection after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, yet the Dutch government later argued that it was under no formal legal obligation to resettle them. The court ultimately agreed, ruling that political assurances do not constitute enforceable legal rights.
Read the full article in the Memesita.