UN Afghanistan resolution spurs human rights concerns News
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UN Afghanistan resolution spurs human rights concerns

Amnesty International on Thursday criticized a recent United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution regarding human rights in Afghanistan, joining other rights groups in claiming that the resolution fails to hold human rights abusers in the country accountable.

Amnesty International’s Regional Director for South Asia Smriti Singh criticized the resolution for failing to establish an “independent international accountability mechanism.” Singh stated:

The HRC has yet again missed the chance to deliver an adequate response, advance accountability and justice, and deter further abuse of human rights as the Taliban continues to intensify and escalate their crackdown on the rights of the people in Afghanistan including through far reaching draconian restrictions on the rights of women and girls. An independent international accountability mechanism that can identify perpetrators as well as investigate, collect, and preserve evidence is critical to effectively address past and ongoing violations as well as the pervasive impunity of over forty years that continues today.

Human Rights Watch also critiqued the resolution on Wednesday, stating that the women’s rights crisis in Afghanistan has only deepened in the years since the Taliban regained power in 2021. The rights group further said women in the country have been banned from most employment opportunities, faced restricted access to education, travel, and politics, and have been subject to “enforced disappearances” or torture for protesting the changes.

The HRC adopted the resolution on Wednesday, extending the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan. The resolution expressed deep concern over “the situation of human rights in Afghanistan,” specifically citing violations of international human rights law, extrajudicial killings, sexual and gender-based violence, and punishment of dissidents and journalists, among other abuses. Despite this concern, the resolution affirmed the council’s “strong commitment to the sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and unity of Afghanistan.”

The HRC also called for additional resources to be committed by the Office of the High Commissioner to help the special rapporteur prepare a report on the institutionalized system of discrimination against women and girls.

The Taliban seized control in Afghanistan in 2021, becoming the de facto authority of the country. Since then, international organizations and rights groups have documented human rights violations by Taliban forces, such as the torture and extrajudicial killings of former government officials, and condemned the Taliban’s “harsh restrictions” on journalists and minorities. The Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls have received significant attention, and some critics have called the situation a “gender apartheid.” Canada, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands recently announced plans to take the Taliban to court for alleged gender discrimination and apartheid.

 

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