Afghanistan women’s rights are ‘red line’, UN rights chief tells States

Speaking astatine the opening of an exigency league astatine the UN Human Rights Council successful Geneva, a small implicit a week since the Taliban swept to power, Ms. Bachelet reminded Member States of credible reports of violations of planetary humanitarian instrumentality against civilians successful areas nether their control.

These reports, she said, marque it particularly important that the Human Rights Council enactment successful unison to forestall further abuses, and that Member States found a dedicated mechanics to show the fast-evolving concern successful Afghanistan and, successful particular, the Taliban's implementation of its promises. 

Summary justice

Ms. Bachelet added that “a cardinal reddish enactment volition beryllium the Taliban's attraction of women and girls, and respect for their rights to liberty, state of movement, education, self-expression and employment, guided by planetary quality rights norms. In particular, ensuring entree to prime secondary acquisition for girls volition beryllium an indispensable indicator of committedness to quality rights.”

Among the reported violations received by her office, the UN rights main cited summary executions of civilians and members of the Afghan nationalist information forces, recruitment of kid soldiers and repression of peaceful protestation and expressions of dissent.

Echoing those concerns up of a ballot connected a draught solution calling for investigations and accountability for rights abuses, Afghanistan’s Ambassador, Dr. Nasir Ahmad Andisha, described the prevailing consciousness of apprehension successful the country, with “millions fearing for their lives”.

Dr. Andisha warned that a humanitarian situation was “unfolding arsenic we speak”, and that thousands radical were astatine risk, from quality rights defenders to journalists, academics, professionals, civilian nine members and erstwhile information unit “who were the backbone – and we anticipation inactive volition beryllium – of a modern and antiauthoritarian society”.

Speaking successful idiosyncratic astatine the Council, Dr. Andisha reminded Member States that the concern connected the crushed remained uncertain: “We witnesser a precocious fig of superior violations of planetary humanitarian instrumentality and quality rights abuses which are documented and astir of those gruesome videos are disposable online. While immoderate Taliban were and are inactive talking differently, restrictions and violations are already taking spot arsenic we speak.”

© UNICEF Afghanistan

A kid walks done a impermanent campy acceptable up successful Kabul aft his household was displaced UNICEF owed to insecurity crossed Afghanistan.

Afghanistan ‘in its worst moment’

Anita Ramasastry, Chair of the Coordination Committee of UN Special Procedures, besides noted that women and girls, and galore internally displaced people, look peculiar risks

“Many of these persons are successful hiding arsenic the Taliban continues to hunt homes door-to-door”, she said, “and determination are superior concerns that specified accusation gathering whitethorn led to them being targeted for reprisals. Searches, arrests, harassment, and intimidation, arsenic good arsenic seizures of spot and reprisals are already being reported.”

Warning that Afghanistan was present “in its worst moment” and successful request of the enactment of the planetary assemblage similar ne'er before, Shaharzad Akbar, Chairperson for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, rounded connected the exigency session’s draught solution arsenic a “travesty” that failed to acold capable to support those astatine hazard successful the country.

Ambassador Nasir Ahmad Andisha of Afghanistan addresses the Human Rights Council Special Session connected Afghanistan., by UNOG

“We person documented that the Taliban advances came with summary executions, disappearances, restrictions connected women, media and taste life. This is not past history. This is earlier this month, and this is today,” she said. 

“Women successful Afghanistan are being turned down (sic) from their offices by the Taliban, universities person been asked to sermon sex segregation possibilities, women are required to beryllium accompanied by antheral members of their household successful public, media are not broadcasting music, journalists and activists are successful hiding oregon successful fly (sic), erstwhile members of the Afghan National Security Forces are frightened of the worst, the summary executions, house-to-house searches and accusation gathering has led to wide fear.”

National responsibility

For the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Pakistan Ambassador Khalil Hashmi reiterated the OIC’s committedness “to supporting an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned bid and reconciliation process to scope an inclusive governmental settlement. The OIC underscores the imperative of progressive engagement by the planetary assemblage on political, humanitarian, quality rights and improvement tracks.”

For the United States, Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, insisted that the extortion of “civilians, including women and girls, academics, journalists, quality rights defenders, and members of ethnic, religious, and different number groups” indispensable stay paramount. “We condemn attacks connected them and those seeking to assistance them, including UN unit and humanitarian assistance providers. Such attacks indispensable halt immediately, and each Afghan nationals and overseas nationals who privation to depart indispensable beryllium allowed to bash truthful safely.”