Tidö parties want deportation deal with Taliban – and wonder why women don't vote for them

The Swedish government is pursuing deportation agreements with the Taliban, a move described as a "black joke" by commentators. Negotiations are reportedly underway, raising significant concerns among human rights advocates and the public. This initiative comes after a controversial decision last winter where Sweden channeled 100 million Swedish kronor in aid directly to the circle of Somalia's prime minister in exchange for accepting forcibly deported refugees.

Somalia is known as one of the world's most corrupt nations, and its prime minister has been described as a hardline Islamist with antisemitic views who has supported Hamas. At the time, questions were raised about whether there were any countries the Swedish government would refuse to cooperate with for deportation purposes. The answer appears to be none, as the Taliban have now entered the picture.

The Taliban, notorious for publicly whipping and executing citizens, banning women from working, and preventing girls from attending school, are now being welcomed to the Swedish negotiation table. The Swedish government, through Migration Minister Johan Forssell, has justified these efforts by stating a desire to deport serious criminals. However, a similar justification was used for the Somalia deal, yet only just over half of those forcibly deported under that agreement were convicted criminals.

Human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch have protested the recent meeting between the Taliban and EU member states, arguing that it legitimizes an extreme oppressive state. The Taliban themselves have hailed the meeting as "historic." While the specifics of the discussions remain unclear, including whether Sweden plans to funnel aid to the Taliban, it is known that the Tidö agreement's strategy is to merge aid and migration policies. This approach, supported by Aid Minister Benjamin Dousa, aims for more agreements similar to the one with Somalia.