Closing the Afghan embassy in Canberra would put many vulnerable Afghans at significant risk

Since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, Afghanistan’s ambassador in Australia has provided consular services. Despite a request to close the embassy, it defends Afghan rights, especially for women and girls.

Since the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Australia, Wahidullah Waissi, and his staff have continued to represent the people of Afghanistan under the most trying circumstances.

They have continued to provide diplomatic and consular services in Canberra. This includes issuing passports and verifying Afghan drivers’ licences for those who have fled the Taliban to live in Australia.

In 2024, however, the Taliban government in Kabul wrote to the Australian government to request the embassy be closed.

The embassy does not represent the Taliban; it has stood firmly against their authority to run the country. It continues to strongly defend the human rights of all Afghans, with a particular focus on women and girls.

Last September, the Australian government asked the Afghan embassy to stop offering consular services. Now, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has advised the Afghan embassy in Canberra to close completely in June.

Notably, the Australian government doesn’t recognise the Taliban and is unlikely to accept a Taliban ambassador. So it’s not as though the de facto Afghanistan government can just send a new ambassador to Canberra.

If the embassy were controlled by the Taliban, we would not want them here. But there is no requirement under diplomatic law for an embassy to have a connection to a government.

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