COPENHAGEN, Denmark

Denmark on Monday announced to grant asylum status to Afghan women “solely based on their gender,” citing the worsening conditions in the current Taliban setup.

The Danish Refugee Appeals Board, Flygtningenævnet, after an extraordinary meeting issued a statement stating that it has changed its practice for this decision.

The appeal board quoted a report from the EU’s Agency for Asylum. The EU report said that “accumulation of various measures introduced by the Taliban, which affect the rights and freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, amounts to persecution.”

“Such measures affect their access to healthcare, work, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, girls’ right to education, among others.”

There are as many as five ongoing asylum cases involving Afghan female nationals in review. The board said that the persons can “in principle be granted residence” under new asylum rules. It further announced to reopen all (10) Afghan female applicant cases for asylum that were rejected since August 16, 2021.

The appeal board members have also set a new precedent by announcing that it will also assess to reopen the cases of as many as 30 Afghan male asylum seekers that were rejected since August 16, 2021.

The recent decision has been welcomed by the Danish and international human rights organizations.