2023-05-09 07:08:02
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Some Afghan women who work for the United Nations have been detained, harassed and have their movement restricted since the Taliban stopped them from working for the world body, the UN said Tuesday.
The Afghan Taliban rulers told the UN early last month that Afghan women employed at the mission might not report to work.
“This is the latest in a series of discriminatory, and illegal, measures applied by the de facto authorities with the aim of severely restricting the participation of women and girls in most spheres of public and daily life in Afghanistan. ”, said the UN in a report on the situation of human rights in the country.
The Taliban authorities have continued to crack down on dissenting voices this year, especially those speaking out on issues related to women’s and girls’ rights, the report added.
The UN report cited the arrest in March of four women, who were released a day later, following a protest demanding access to education and the labor market in the capital, Kabul, as well as that of Matiullah Wesa, director of PenPath, a civil society organization that advocates for the reopening of girls’ schools.
In addition, he highlighted the arrest of a women’s rights activist and her brother in February in Takhar, a province in the north of the country.
Several civil society activists have been released, reportedly without charge, following long periods of arbitrary detention by Taliban intelligence services, the report added.
These measures will have disastrous effects on the country’s prospects for prosperity, stability and peace, indicated the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, in its document.
“UNAMA is concerned regarding the increasing restrictions on civic space in Afghanistan,” said Fiona Frazer, the agency’s head of human rights.
The Taliban had banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade and restricted women’s participation in the labor market and public life. In December, they were prohibited from working in local and non-governmental organizations, a measure that did not apply to UN offices at the time.
The report also mentioned the extrajudicial killings of people affiliated with the former government. On March 5 in Kandahar, in the south of the country, Taliban forces detained a former police officer at his home and shot him dead, according to the document. That same month, in Balkh in the north, a former military official was killed by unknown gunmen at his home, he added.
“Throughout February, March and April there were also arbitrary arrests and imprisonments of former government officials and members of the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces,” the note said.
In an independent report released Monday, the UN strongly criticized the Taliban for carrying out public stoning and whipping executions since they seized power in August last year, calling on the rulers to end the practices.
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