Russia’s Supreme Court Lifts Ban on Taliban Activities

The Russian Supreme Court has granted an administrative claim filed by the Prosecutor General’s Office to suspend the ban on the Taliban movement’s activities in Russia.

"By decision of the Russian Supreme Court, the previously established ban on the activities of the Taliban movement, included in the unified federal list of organizations recognized as terrorist, is suspended," the judge announced, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

The session was held behind closed doors. The ruling marks the first application of a legal provision that came into force in December 2024, which permits the temporary suspension of prohibitions on designated terrorist organizations. The decision takes effect immediately.

In late December, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law enabling the temporary suspension of bans on organizations listed as terrorist. Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, stated that this new condition would allow Russia to engage in legal cooperation with the Taliban.

According to the law, a suspension may be granted by court decision upon a request from the Prosecutor General or a deputy, provided there is evidence that the group has ceased terrorist activity, propaganda, justification, support of terrorism, or related criminal offenses. A copy of the ruling must be sent to the Federal Security Service within five days for updating the list of terrorist organizations.

The press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office noted that the legal basis for the appeal was grounded in the amendments made last December to the Russian Code of Administrative Judicial Procedure and the federal law On Countering Terrorism. "They allow suspension of a terrorist organization’s ban if it ceases activities aimed at propaganda, justification, support of terrorism, or committing crimes of terrorist orientation against Russia’s interests. Based on information provided by competent authorities, the court found that these conditions were met and ruled the claim valid. The decision shall be enforced immediately," the supervisory authority said.