Paper Trail Shows How Switzerland Negotiated With Taliban

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Following a visit by a Taliban delegation to Switzerland in summer 2025, three men were deported to Afghanistan. Documents obtained under transparency laws by Zurich-based research collective WAV reveal how the Swiss authorities collaborated with the repressive regime to make this happen. This content was published on October 24, 2026 - 10:00 11 minutes Julie Jeannet (Le Courrier) and Lorenz Naegeli (member of WAV collective)

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In August 2025, a Taliban delegation came to GenevaExternal link for the purpose of identifying 13 Afghan nationals convicted of crimes in Switzerland and whom the Swiss government wished to deport.

It is the task of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) to obtain the necessary documents for any person due to be removed or deported from Switzerland. According to explanations given at the time by the SEM, the visit by the Afghan officials was necessary because Afghanistan only accepts travel documents issued by the authorities in Kabul.

The SEM stated External link that the Afghan officials did not leave the airport during their stay and that the purpose of the visit was an“investigation carried out by consular staffExternal link”. However, documents now obtained under transparency laws by the research collective WAV* and shared with the Swiss French-language daily Le CourrierExternal link tell a different story.

From August 19 to 21, 2025, four members of the radical Islamist Taliban regime spent two nights at the Mövenpick Hotel in Geneva. The hotel is very close to, but not within the perimeter of the airport, contrary to the SEM's statement. Switzerland spent CHF13,490 ($16,250) on the visit.

The correspondence obtained includes emails between the Swiss embassy in Islamabad, the Swiss foreign ministry, the SEM and the Taliban administration. All names and other information deemed sensitive have been redacted.

In the correspondence, the SEM and the foreign ministry refer to a“technical delegation” and a“consular mission”, but they address the delegates in a decidedly diplomatic tone. The SEM also passed on personal details of the people it wished to deport to the Taliban administration. Asylum law experts have denounced this as a scandal that could put the deportees' safety at risk.

These new revelations are fuelling concerns among politicians and experts that, as a result, Switzerland has lent legitimacy to the Taliban. The group is subject to United Nations and European Union sanctions. It systematically violates human rights and represses its opponents with extreme violence. Girls, women and minorities are the primary victims.

In July 2025, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the Taliban's most senior leaders. Shortly afterwards, however, representatives of the regime were received in Geneva.

'Courtesy dinner'

A note dated June 23, 2025 states that“the Swiss Embassy in Pakistan presents its compliments to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is honoured to hand over a letter from the SEM”. Further on, it reiterates“the assurance of its highest consideration”.

When asked about the choice of tone in light of the violent crimes committed by the Taliban, the SEM replied that“such polite phrases are an integral part of international communication and cannot be used to draw political conclusions”. Furthermore, although an email states that“no official meetings are planned in Switzerland”, a“courtesy dinner for a maximum of nine people” was on the programme.

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