Top EU court rules gender, nationality enough for Afghan women to be granted asylum

FILE PHOTO: Afghan women prepare dough to make traditional cookies inside a bakery in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 5, 2024. REUTERS/Sayed Hassib/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Friday that gender and nationality alone were sufficient for a country to grant asylum to women from Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban have sharply curtailed women's rights.

Authorities in Austria refused refugee status to two Afghan women after they applied for asylum in 2015 and 2020. They challenged the refusal before the Austrian Supreme Administrative Court, which in turn requested a ruling from the ECJ, the top European Union court.